The Glass House Vs Big Brother saga continues. Last Friday we reported that CBS had sent a cease and desist letter to ABC regarding it’s summer Reality TV show “The Glass House”. We now learn that CBS is Suing ABC over that show citing copyright infringement and stealing of trade secrets. When we first found out about The Glass House we immediately thought Big Brother Clone so it’s not a stretch to see a lawsuit like this. Television shows are copied all the time why did CBS target this one. It’s not 100% the same there are a few small differences, it’s like comparing The Talk and the View or even The Bachelor Pad to Big Brother, they all share similarities and nobody is suing over them.
If Glass House (ABC) is copying Big Brother (CBS) and ‘The Talk’ (CBS) is copying ‘The View’ (ABC) why is CBS so butt sore over Glass House and ABC isn’t about The talk? Andy Dehnart from Reality blurred has gone a little more indepth with what the legal document has to say and from his post and the legal papers it’s clear that CBS is pissed because ABC got a-hold of the “SECRETS OF BIG BROTHER” through the hiring of ex-staff that worked on the CBS Big Brother show.
“SECRETS OF BIG BROTHER” = critically copyright information and trade secrets about the inner workings of CBS Big Brother.
CBS calls out Michael O’Sullivan in particular. A former supervising producer of Big Brother who is currently working as a producer for Glass House saying he was resposable for BB’s concept, design and execution. Also Corie Henson and Kenny Rosen both lower level producers along with 16 other staff workers from the CBS show.
Here is the summary of action taken from the filed lawsuit.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then CBS should take pride in the ABC’s latest reality television project “Life in a Glass House” (“Glass House”). Glass House, which remarkable employs at least 19 former producers and staff from CBS’s hit television series Big Brother, is a carbon copy of Big Brother and an obvious attempt by defendants to capitalize on its unique success
This Unique success that CBS says BB has must be the massive internet following which it’s clear Glass House is trying to target with their increased fan involvement in the show.
If this lawsuit goes the distance a Casual look at each companies market cap shows that Walt Disney (ABC’s owner) has potentially 4 times the financial fire power than CBS.
CBS Corporation Market Cap: 21.44B
Market Cap: 81.35B
Like the Endemol debt crisis before it this is one story to sit back and watch unfold.