The "Ted" creator has come under fire over the originality (or lack thereof) of his foul-mouthed character.
Seth Macfarlane – frat guy favorite and walking controversy generator – is now involved in an intellectual property lawsuit over his 2012 hit, Ted. A Cali-based production company, called Bengal Mangle Productionsis suing MacFarlane, claiming that its 2008 screenplay Acting School Academy featured a raunchy teddy named Charlie. Like Ted, Charlie lives in a "human, adult world with all human friends. Charlie has a penchant for drinking, smoking, prostitutes, and is a generally vulgar yet humorous character," the lawsuit states. It also claims that the two fictional characters reside and similar environments (both spend substantial amounts of time on a living room sofa) and behave in a similar manner, including their speech and delivery. The suit was filed this past Tuesday and names producer and distributor Universal Studios and MacFarlane’s own production company Fuzzy Door Productions, along with MacFarlane himself. The suit alleges copyright infringement and seeks unspecified damages.
More: Ok, Seth MacFarlane, You've Had Your Fun, Now Where Are We With Ted 2?
The lawsuit is unlikely to affect the Ted 2 project in any significant way.
Acting School Academy was turned into a moderately successful web series. According to TV Guide, it received around 1,2 million views between 2009 and 2012 – a good total for a web series. In contrast, Ted went on to become the highest grossing R-rated comedy of 2012 and grossed almost $550 million worldwide on a $50 million budget. A sequel is currently in the works. The lawsuit is unlikely to have any effect on the development and production of Ted 2.
More: Mila Kunis Is Out, Amanda Seyfried Is In For Seth MacFarlane's Ted 2
Good news: Steven Soderbergh's well-publicised retirement from directing only lasted about four years. He's back...
Jimmy and Clyde Logan are two down-and-out brothers from West Virginia. Jimmy has been fired...
The quality of the animation in this musical comedy may not be up to Pixar...
Buster Moon is one of the good guys, he's a koala who's lived his life...
Fans of the surprise 2012 hit Ted will find plenty to love in this sequel,...
With the marriage between Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) having gone off and...
Ted (Seth MacFarlane) is getting married. The next thing the couple have on their to-do...
After the success of Ted, Seth MacFarlane gives himself his first leading-man role in this...
Albert is a rather introverted sheep farmer who tries at all costs to avoid confrontation...
Albert is one of the more lucky men living in his doomed Arizona town, mainly...
Albert is a sheep farmer who, unlike most men in his small Arizona town, is...