CBS Sues ABC, Claims New Series Is a Rip-Off of "Big Brother" - East Idaho News
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CBS Sues ABC, Claims New Series Is a Rip-Off of “Big Brother”

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GETTY N 110211 LawGavelCourt?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1336727530975Hemera/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — CBS wasn’t kidding around when it threatened legal action against ABC for developing a series that the Eye network claims is too similar to its reality show Big Brother.

Entertainment Weekly reports CBS filed a lawsuit Thursday in a Los Angeles court against ABC, alleging copyright infringement, among other things.  The network argues that the ABC series, The Glass House, borrows heavily from Big Brother, including the plot, setting, and other elements of the competition.

CBS argues in its lawsuit that The Glass House “is a carbon copy of Big Brother and an obvious attempt by defendants to capitalize on its unique success.”

CBS, which has aired Big Brother since 2000, states that at least 19 former producers and staff members of Big Brother are working on The Glass House, which will feature 14 contestants engaged in a competition inside a state-of-the-art house.

CBS previously sent a cease-and-desist letter to ABC regarding its complaints about The Glass House.

In response to the allegations, ABC says in a statement, “We believe there is no merit to this lawsuit. The differences between Glass House and Big Brother are both fundamental and obvious, ranging from Glass House’s interactive elements and audience participation to its deployment of cutting edge technologies.”

ABC recently announced that The Glass House will premiere on June 18.

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