TV Producer sues ABC for Lost royalties

A struggling TV producer, whose credits include Baretta, The Man from Uncle and a whole list of other shows you wouldn’t remember is now suing both ABC and Touchstone Television, claiming he was the source of one of today’s biggest hits — Lost.

Anthony Spinner, 79, claims he was paid $30,000 by ABC in 1977, to create a pilot for what grew into ‘Lost.’ The result was so poor it was rejected — three times. Most recently in 1994. Ten years later, ABC created what he claims is a plagiarized replica — and Spinner now wants a cut of the bank.

A comparison of the two shows does have some matches — Mr. Spinner’s version featured a plane bound for LA, which crashes on an island, and the survivors then recall and revisit their previous lives via flashbacks. There’s a Doctor, a military type, a drug addict [like Charlie,] a token minority character [Sayid?] a female lead with a criminal record, and even a love-triangle sub-plot.

Given such wide similarity, why, you might ask, did this guy wait five years to do anything? According to the plaintiff, he did try to sue back in 2005 – but that suit was denied for ‘procedural reasons.’

But bear this in mind — Many people who have researched this story believe it’s no more than a patronizing effort by Disney to gain free publicity — and thus better ratings – for the show’s final season. If you know the show, you make the call.

Source: Slashfilm