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Man Claims 'American Idol' was his Idea, Sues Fox

MacFan25

MacFan25

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 5, 2003
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USA
I wonder if it was his idea, or not. :confused:

click here

His lawyer said he didn't sue earlier because he didn't have his papers in order.
 
Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
i thought there was a british version of the show first.... or was that millionaire? hmm
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Simon talked about it a couple weeks ago. It was called "Pop Idol"...and he said they had better hosts (e.g., Ryan Seacrest).
 
Pop Idol is a spin off of "Pop Stars" - where it's a "band" search rather than a "star" search. It was developed in Australia, and the various shows based on that theme must buy the licence to use the idea from the Australian production company.

Now this guy says he copyrighted the idea in 1997 (presumably only in the States...). So who knows how this will pan out. I don't know when the Australian show started, but the UK one began in late 2000 I thinks.

a
 
American Idol makes me mad. I liked it before they started kicking off the good people.

I wouldn't be suprised at all if Am. I was influenced by this dude.
 
Strange i thought Popstars was first in the uk, and owned by Simon Cowell and his production company and sold around the world. But really who cares, the bands that came out in the uk from the various shows were a load of crap...
 
Did he copyright it? Did he file any papers at all before 2001? If not, too bad. I can sit in my living room and dream up anything, but unless I take action it means nothing more than a mental exercise.
As an avowed hater of reality shows (and most TV shoes in general, ESPECIALLY any "news" media like FoxNews and ANYTHING showing at 10pm besides the Simpsons) I actually enjoy AI. I can't explain it.
Go Clay. Go Reuben.
 
speaking of stealing ideas..


anyone seen that commercial for Skippy, the peanut butter people's new product, a squeezable tube of peanut butter. I had that idea. I really seriously did. I had been doing it for several months prior to it, putting peanut butter in a ziplock bag, getting it into one corner, twisting it, and cutting the tip off-the same exact thing. Augh. I wouldnt have even known where to put the idea :(
 
Just because you copyright/patent an idea doesn't mean that somebody else will come up with a similar product and/or idea independently of yours without infringing on your patent/copyright.
 
Originally posted by scem0
American Idol makes me mad. I liked it before they started kicking off the good people.

I wouldn't be suprised at all if Am. I was influenced by this dude.
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the two best people (after Frenchie) are in the top 2...what more could you ask for? i got upset that frickin marineboy was on the show about 4 weeks too long, but its all good now.
 
Originally posted by tazo
I know any answer should be construed as non-legal advice, but if I had put a patent on my idea for the squeeazable peanut butter thing, and i got it, would I like be getting money from skippy or something. :eek: :confused:
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That's the idea. But I also think you have to actually try and make the thing too - you can't just come up with a load of whacky ideas and then sit on them all in the hope somebody else will come up with that idea too.

BTW, that's kinda why we've got windoze the way it is now....they basically us..<cough>...came up with a few ideas exactl...<cough> similar to thingd in Apple's UI. Apple had "copyrighted" their UI, but it wasn't enough. That's why they do the mad patent thing these days...patenting the look of the trash can and what-not.

<edit: and ofcourse, IANAL>
 
Copyrights and patents are two very different things.

I can copyright an idea, but if I have never published or talked about it and someone comes up with a similar idea, the case for theft is very weak. If it is not theft or plagiarism, you basically have no case.

Copyrights are not searchable and do not require the searches that obtaining a patent does.

Besides, why did he wait until the SECOND SEASON! If this were true, I would have been all over this right away!
 
Isn't this the second year of American Idol? Where was he right after the first show?

I don't like the show, and I have never watched more than a few minutes, but I certainly heard about it and knew the concept after it was on the air for a few months....
 
Whether or not the Aussies came up with Pop Idol or whaever they called it first it was on in the UK before the US. Now we can't move for reality TV crap. We've got Big Brother, Survivior (which was a bit of a flop over here), Fame Academy, Pop Idol, Pop Stars, Pop this and pop that :rolleyes: We've also just had the second run of 'I'm a Celebrity get me out of Here' where a bunch of B-list celebs are stuck into a sanitised 'jungle' (Actually it's in Queensland, Australia and real near a hotel!) and they have to do stupid trials and stuff and then get gradually voted down to a winner. It'd be better named 'I'm a nobody, who gives a toss?'

I REALLY HATE reality TV :mad:
 
Originally posted by caveman_uk
I REALLY HATE reality TV :mad:
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Exactly.

What's the facination with boring people's lives these days? If I want reality I'll watch the news, thanks. I like entertainment that actually - maybe - explores a few emotions that I don't get in daily life.

a
 
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