Burnett loses 'Family Guy' lawsuit

As was expected, a federal judge as dismissed Carol Burnett's copyright infringement lawsuit against Fox over a parody of herself and her show on Family Guy. It seemed very unlikely that this case would ever go to trial, because it was so horrendously without merit. Copyright law is all about reserving the right to copy your work yourself; it can't be copied without your permission, giving it and your position economic value, encouraging you to go out and create even more stuff that only you can copy.

It doesn't cover material that you yourself do not own, such as was the case with Family Guy. They didn't use any material that Burnett owned, therefore there could be no finding of infringement. The judge dismissed the case out of hand, and I was be hysterically thrilled of the judge allowed Fox to seek attorneys fees from Burnett for filing such a frivolous case.

Personally speaking, I also think her own lawyers that handled the case ought to be permanently disbarred for being universally stupid, and incompetent.

Topics: News, Copyright Infringement, Carol Burnett, Family Guy, Fox