We HOPE this isn't true, ABC.
Modern Family, which premieres its second season on Wednesday, is in the midst of a lawsuit filed by Martin Alexander, who claims that defendants "illegally copied and/or created" the show based on his "copyrighted work."
In the complaint he filed, he described a pilot he wrote, Loony Ben, which is VERY similar to Modern Family. Here's what the complaint said about it:
"Mr. Alexander began circulating [his] work throughout Hollywood and Los Angeles, California and in New York, submitting it to agents, producers, directors, production companies, networks, network executives, and contests."
One point that seems to make his case increasingly legitimate is the fact that in 2006, he filed a proposed cast list with the U.S. Copyright office, which included Sofia Vergara. Here are the details:
"…includes obscure actress Sofia Vergara as the stunningly beautiful, fiery, temperamental, Latina mother, with a thick accent, who's in love with a Caucasian man and always makes him do the right thing, especially where her son is concerned."
That does seem a bit uncanny, we've got to admit.
Here's a further list of similarities between Modern Family and Alexander's show:
"-focus on a non-traditional family
-a relationship between two gay men who are married, one gay male is heavyset, the other is height-weight proportional
-a heterosexual couple consisting of a Caucasian male and a Latino female with an age disparity
-a lawyer who graduated from Columbia Law School
-an Asian female with Caucasian parents
-a minor child who is a Latino male with a Caucasian father
-a character from Cleveland, Ohio
-an outsider, a non-family member to whom the lead character bears his soul"
Defendants in Alexander's lawsuit include ABC, CBS Broadcasting, Disney Enterprises, Fox Entertainment Group, Blockbuster, Amazon.com, IMDB.com, Keith Murdoch, Apple, Hulu, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd and Picture Day Productions.
Do U think Modern Family was stolen?
[Image via WENN.]
Tags: abc, amazon, apple, blockbuster, cbs, christopher lloyd, copyright infringement, disney, fox, hulu, imdb, keith murdoch, lawsuit, loony ben, martin alexander, modern family, picture day productions, premiere, steve levitan
