Spinner
Spinner v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Opinion
Opinion
Flier, J.
Anthony Spinner brings this “idea submission” lawsuit against American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (ABC), for ABC’s alleged use of his ideas in creating and developing the hit television series LOST. Spinner submitted a script entitled “L.O.S.T.” to ABC in 1977, while ABC’s LOST was created and developed in 2003 and 2004. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of ABC. We affirm.
STATEMENT OF FACTS
1. Spinner Drafts His Script and Submits It to ABC in 1977
Spinner is a television producer, writer, and former studio executive in Los Angeles. He was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding drama series as the executive producer of the series Baretta, an ABC television show. Spinner is a former creative vice-president at Fox Television.
Around 1976, Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions, Inc. (SMK), approached Spinner through his agents because SMK and ABC were interested in developing a television pilot with Spinner. During a meeting with SMK, Spinner explained that he “had always thought about doing people stranded in impossible circumstances, not contemporary, not like a hundred stories like that had been told, and how they would survive and the strange…