CBS: ‘Glass House’ Online Footage Proves It’s A ‘Big Brother’ Copy
UPDATE – 2:55 PM ABC issued the following statement today in response to CBS’s lastest legal salvo to get a temporary restraining order against the production and June 18 debut of the reality series Glass House.
CBS’s submission today underscores the frivolous nature of their claims. This entire dispute apparently boils down to the fact that both shows feature a blonde woman, both shows feature people talking in hot tubs, and both shows feature red chairs and brown pillows. CBS cannot lay ownership to the entire genre of reality television and prevent America’s viewers from watching ABC’s new and original reality show.
UPDATE: Later today, Judge Gary Feess ruled that CBS be allowed to file its documents in support of its TRO request under seal.
PREVIOUS: ABC’s Glass House “is a copy of Big Brother,” a copyright expert said today. Based on footage that ABC has put up online this week, CBS filed a declaration (read it here) from Jeff Rovin. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow morning on CBS’ request for a temporary restraining order to stop production on Glass House and halt its June 18 premiere. ABC began putting footage of the house and its inhabitants online earlier this week. “ABC and its creative team have introduced virtually nothing new in the way of staging, camera work, setting, narrative, wardrobe and anything else that comprise the expression of Big Brother,” said Rovin in the screenshot-heavy 11-page declaration.
On May 10. CBS sued ABC and several former Big Brother producers and employees over Glass House. The lawsuit alleges copyright infringement, trade-secret misappropriation, unfair competition, breach of contract and conspiracy among other claims. ABC dismissed the suit as having “no merit.” Since then the two networks have been in a legal cage fight over the reality series. On Friday, less than 24 hours after CBS filed their TRO application, Judge Gary Feess ruled in favor of CBS’ desire for a fast-tracked TRO process. As this is happening, ABC announced the Glass House contestants and are promoting the viewer-driven voting show on an interactive beta website. Another judge has approved most of ABC’s expedited discovery process schedule, with no court ruing expect there until after Friday.
Sounds like CBS has a pretty strong case. Frankly, I’m not sure why that’s a show ABC chose to, ahem, emulate. Just more trash TV.
I’m actually a fan of Big Brother and have watched it now for years. I looked at all of the available materials on Glass House online, and it’s a complete rip-off! Not sure how it took this long for CBS’s legal action to kick into gear, but it feels like ABC is going to be screwed on this one.
So it’s close, every program that’s on TV has a clone on a different network, Be successful or even half good, get copied, Been the way since before Uncle Milte. If this lawsuit is successful there might be a lot of shows get sued, because most are copies of some past or present show. Lots of jobs and networks might be in deep dodo.
It’s not just the copying, the Glass House took about 10 Big Brother employees who had non-disclosure agreements, and they all basically said all the shows secrets, that was the shows mistake.
Yes, the big problem comes when you steal 40% of the crew away. Networks don’t take that lying down.
I’m not in that line of work, but it appears to me that the only people that have a real jobs on that program work in editing, and on setup of stunts and the real big job Janitors. I would think all the rest could be replaced in a New York Minute or less.
Well, it’s clear you aren’t in this line of work. But yes they could’ve hired a different set of experienced people who could’ve figured out creative and technical shortcuts to achieve a similar show, but they chose to hire away the people who already had it all dialed in, so no learning curve. That decision is what brought on this suit.
There is no way in this world that you can convince me that those people were the only ones who knew the tricks of the trade in relation to that show. There have been dozen’s of those type of shows. And from the looks of the courts decision today they agree.
I read the 11 page motion and ABC is screwed. Glass House is an obvious ripoff of Big Brother. The photos from the web clips prove it. The judge should give CBS everything they want and then some.
If CBS ends up victorious here, then Bunim/Murray Productions should sue the bejesus out of everyone that has ever made any type of reality show involving individuals being filmed while living in a house together. Period.
I second the motion.
Awful lot of hullabaloo over a show that will most likely be cancelled within the first season.
“The only ‘ism’ that Hollywood believes in is plagiarism.” — Dorothy Parker
ABC, just give it up already…admit it…this show, or we’ll refer to it as a trainwreck, is the exact same model as that other stupid show on CBS, and with the favors CBS is trying to do for you guys to save face from airing this trash, why not just admit it once and for all and spare yourselves the shame of airing such trifle. Even your own live stream is hurting your case. End it!
Can you say “karma”? (Not to mention “nerve”?)
CBS is the same network that approached the BBC about licensing SHERLOCK for a U.S. remake, and when they were turned down went ahead and blatantly ripped it off as ELEMENTARY.
(And you’re welcome, ABC – feel free to use this in your rebuttal.)
What rebuttal? That CBS made a series about a character in the public domain? Okay. If they were infringing copyright, there’d already be a lawsuit.
So it’s totally fine for CBS to copy ABC with The Talk, but yet they’re shocked and appalled when it appears ABC has done it? Ridiculous.
After reading over the 11-page motion from CBS, I can officially state that I have never in my life rolled my eyes harder.
I laughed out loud five times:
*When the memo accused ABC of stealing the idea of having blonde haired women in the house.
*When the memo accused ABC of stealing the idea of having shirtless men lounging in the house.
*When the memo accused ABC of stealing the idea of filming people in a hot tub.
*When the memo accused ABC of stealing the idea of furnishing the house with leather chairs and dark patterned pillows.
But I laughed most…
*When the memo accused ABC of stealing the idea to tell people to talk about the show on Twitter.
Seriously, the dumb ass who wrote the memo is REACHING. ABC may have been shady in who it hired and what kinds of shortcuts they allowed to the situation — but they have distinguished the show from Big Brother with the web concept.
If this lawsuit succeeds, how long before all of the talk shows are in court for being rip offs of each other?