‘American Idol’ Creator Sues Fox Over ‘X Factor’
American Idol creator Simon Fuller has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Fox over the forthcoming American version of Simon Cowell's singing competition The X Factor. Fuller is seeking credits and monetary fees, alleging that Fox and producers FreemantleMedia have refused to honor a 2005 contract granting him an executive producer credit and compensation for the U.S. version of the show. That agreement came as the result of the settlement of another court case in which Fuller argued that X Factor was a rip off of the Idol franchise.
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"Mr. Fuller has prudently attempted to settle this matter privately, but the other parties have refused to honor the original contract leaving him no other choice but to pursue legal action," Fuller's spokesperson said in a statement earlier today. Fox and Freemantle have yet to comment on the issue.