DVDizzy Forum

I was checking my disney stock this morning when I came across this article. Buddy Sheffeild claims that Disney stole his idea for a TV show to create Hannah Montana.

Comedy Writer Sues Disney, Says 'Hannah Montana' Was His Idea

LOS ANGELES (AP)--A comedy writer is suing The Walt Disney Co. (DIS), alleging he came up with the idea for the teen television show "Hannah Montana" but was never compensated.

Buddy Sheffield filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday alleging breach of contract, breach of confidence, unfair competition and unjust enrichment.

Disney officials could not be reached at the company's Burbank offices Thursday evening for comment.

Sheffield, who has written for "The Smothers Brothers Show," "The Dolly Parton Show" and "In Living Color," says he pitched an idea for a television series called "Rock and Roland" to the Disney Channel in 2001. The story was about a junior high school student who lived a secret double life as a rock star, according to the lawsuit.

Disney Channel officials at first liked the idea, but ultimately passed on it, the lawsuit alleges.

The Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" is about high school student Miley Stewart, who lives a secret double life as a famous pop star.

"Hannah Montana," starring Miley Cyrus and her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, has generated two hit music CDs and helped sell a great deal of merchandise. Sheffield says he deserves a share of the revenue.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/art ... RTUNE5.htm

Haven't there been other shows about a person with a secret identity? Many people dream about being a pop star, so I think that it's a pretty generic idea. I hope he loses...unless there's more to the story- if this guy planned characters such as Robbie Ray, Jackson, Lily, Oliver, Jake Ryan, etc...then I'd believe him more...but if he only had this generic idea, then I don't think he should win.

If what he is saying is true and he can prove it, I think he deserves some of the profits.

As Amy said, I hope he loses unless there is more to the story.

Actually, he could have a legitimate complaint there, if he has even evidence that he had the idea first. It's really not THAT generic of a concept. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another show about a junior high student with a secret identity of a rock/pop star.

Hannah Montanna isn't exactly new righ? So why has it taken him this long to sue? IMO he's going to need a lot of evidence to prove he came up with the "idea" for the show. Anybody could say they came up with the idea, and in reality had nothing to do with it. I just think the timing for this is odd.

Everytime I've seen someone sue a movie studio, it always takes them 1-2 years after the first movie/television show has been aired. I'm not sure why though.

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:Hannah Montanna isn't exactly new righ? So why has it taken him this long to sue? ... I just think the timing for this is odd.

That's just what I was thinking. If it matters to him enough to sue, he should've done it sooner. Now that the show has become immensely popular and he's waited this long to make a move, it looks like he's being greedy.

I find it hard to believe that it took him this long to notice the show.

Then again, we could be wrong and it takes this long to file a suit?

This reminds me a lot of an author in Pennsylvania who tried to sue JK Rowling for stealing some ideas from a book she published back in the 1980s. Her book had characters named Larry and Lily Potter and little creatures called Muggles and a character named Nimbus. She lost the case, but the few similarities are uncanny coincidences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Stou ... y_Stouffer

Lawsuits can take an incredibly long time. We went through this during the High School Musical lawsuit earlier this year.

Right.... well, Hasbro should sue first! They created Jem and the Holograms!!!!!

See, a lot of you don't get it with these kinds of lawsuits. You're too quick to brush them off as "greedy" hacks. Here are some things to consider:

1.) There is a procedure to filing such lawsuits that takes from several months to a year to do an official filing. Just because you don't hear about it the day it was filed doesn't mean it wasn't pending for months or a few years.

2.) Having worked in the creative/film end for 10 years and knowing people in this industry for 15, despite of official deniles it is quite common place for a studio like Disney to take outside pitches for a new property, pass on it, and retool the same idea just enough so they don't need to pay royalities. This is a FACT that any seasoned professional in this idustry knows. If they deny it then they're in on it. I can rattle off countless examples of people that Disney has done this to and I know it to be true. So don't give Disney the benefit of the doubt just because we're all fans of some aspect of their output.

3.) All lawsuits of this type are for money. Why would anyone sue over an idea that was a stinker? Get real.

4.) It is virtually impossible for anyone to win a lawsuit like this because the movie studios have virtually bottomless pockets and your average person has limited resources. This being the case studios can stonewall and appeal till doomsday.


Remember, Disney is the same Disney who started working with Richard Williams to complete Thief and the Cobbler, dumped him off, and then used a lot of the visual influences in Aladdin. You cannot deny that similarity. I love Aladdin but Disney never gave Williams credit for that influence.


So before you dismiss such lawsuits try to look into the facts first. You'd be surprised by just how many are legit and factual.