Court Revives Suit Over ‘Ghost Hunters’ Television Show [View All]

Court Revives Suit Over ‘Ghost Hunters’ Television Show

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday revived a lawsuit accusing NBC Universal and the former Sci-Fi Channel of stealing the premise for the television series “Ghost Hunters.”

Sitting en banc, the court ruled that copyright law does not preempt an implied contractual claim to compensation for use of an idea included in a pitch to television producers for a show.

Parapsychologist Larry Montz and publicist Daena Smoller claimed that they had presented the concept for a reality television show about the investigation of paranormal activity to representatives of NBC Universal Inc.

NBC allegedly told them it was not interested, but then partnered with Craig Piligian and Pilgrim Films & Television to produce the “Ghost Hunters” series on the Sci-Fi Channel based on the concept proposed by Montz and Smoller.

http://www.metnews.com/articles/2011/mont050511.htm