Toon Zone Talkback - Comic Sues "Family Guy" for Stealing His Act

You know you're popular when you try and get sued for being a ripoff. This would be the second big time Family Guy has been sued in that regard (the second was some guy saying his old 90's comic had a character that they ripped off in FG with Stewie) and I doubt it will even mean as much as the first time. Still way to try and sue a show while it's down due to the writer's strike. Can't you even try and wait to see what happens with that before attempting to make you're money off FG? Also how many people want to bet Seth MacFarlane and co never saw anything this guy ever made and any claim of this being a ripoff will be voided by the end of the year?
 
I'd definitely take you up that bet. Right here, right now. How much are you willing to put on the line, claiming that no one associated with the show saw Metrano's act?

Of course, you might want to look at this before accepting.
 
This is an awfully old gag. Even the music attached to it.
I could not find a date for the magician's TV performance, but I know several dozen Disneyland Entertianment folks used it (music and all) in the early 1970s. I personally remember kids in high school doing it in the late 1960s. For some reason it smacks me of something Steve Allen or Sid Caesar's gang would have done in the 1950s.
Should all the "old timers" start by suing the magician?
Or go for the bigger bucks of FG?
 
Wow. Take a broad gag and someone else who stole it is liable to claim theft. Like I've never seen anyone do that before ever in the history of man kind, and it was completely new ground when that comedian came up with it.
I agree. This is an old gag, and the reference is probably to some old comedian this guy is clearly copying.
 
I don't know the entire backstory of this whole thing, but it seems like the FG gag is supposed to be making reference to that comedy act. The act itself is not what's supposed to be funny here, it's that Jesus is doing it.

You could similarly (wrongly) accuse about half of The Office of being a rip-off of other people's comedy acts. Context is key.


EDIT: If this actually works, FG should be hearing from the "Ding Fries Are Done" people very soon... not to mention "Peanut Butter Jelly Time"... and, well, I really don't think that's going to happen. Can you really copyright a joke? Or protect it from being used as part of other jokes?
 
I dunno. Seems like they'd be flattered to have FG reference their little video. Of course, I'd be worried about the PBJ time Brian action figure though. Too bad it's impossible to find, cuz I really wanted that one.
 
The first one to pull this crap, Carol Burnett, wasn't successful, so I don't know why were seeing this little flurry of whackass Family Guy lawsuits when they fail to have any real impact.
 
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