Taylor
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Viacom, Paramount Sued For $1.5 Billion In SpongeBob Case
“The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” has grossed $58 million in two weeks. Troy Walker is an unemployed cartoonist living on unemployment insurance payments of $1,092 a month. Walker says he created the SpongeBob character seven years before his idea was stolen by Viacom, Paramount, Nickelodeon and SpongeBob’s alleged creator, Stephen Hillenberg. He has sued them for $1.5 billion in California Federal Court.
Walker alleges he created a comic strip, “Bob Spongee, The Unemployed Sponge,” in November 1991, to cheer folks up during the first Gulf War. “The Bob Spongee character is a cartoon depiction of a kitchen utility sponge composed of eyes, nose, mouth, arms, legs, and shoes,” the suit states. “The ‘Bob Spongee’ comic strip depicted ‘Bob’ as a working class guy, who happened to be a real ‘kitchen sponge,’” the suit states. Bob lives in a house on Apple Street with his wife, Linda, and their daughter, Bubbles. “The Bob Spongee house on Apple Street is a major focal point that makes the oddity of a real-life sponge more realistic,” the suit states. In the first, four-panel strip, Bob’s annoying boss lays him off.
Walker advertised Bob Spongee dolls in March 1992 in the Oakland Tribune, through a series of display ads featuring Bob. He also sold Bob Spongee dolls at street fairs for $3 apiece, the suit states.
In July 2001, a family member informed Walker “that Nickelodeon had a new cartoon show on television called ‘SpongeBob SquarePants,’ based on a working-class kitchen sponge named Bob who lived under the sea in a pineapple house,” the suit states. Nickelodeon introduced SpongeBob SquarePants in 1999. “The first episode was titled: Help Wanted and introduced Sponge Bob as ‘The Unemployed Sponge’ who lives in a Pineapple House under the sea. The oddball character is in fact, a kitchen sponge, composed of arms, legs, eyes, nose and mouth, an identical creation to plaintiff’s creative work.”
In short, SpongeBob SquarePants is “Bob Spongee with a Hollywood makeover,” the suit states. Co-defendant Hillenberg, the suit states, “who remains very mysterious, is known as the creator of ‘Sponge Bob.’ … Mr. Hillenberg is an ocean biologist turned animator who shuns any sort of public interviews.” He allegedly sold the idea of SpongeBob to co-defendants Nickelodeon and Viacom for $500,000. The defendants have created a marketing empire on the sponge named Bob, including TV cartoons, a hit movie, toys, clothing, food, bedding, shoes and household items.
Walker seeks $1.5 billion and a halt to production of SpongeBob items until a trial by jury.
Source: Courthouse.com
I think the guy has a pretty good case.
“The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” has grossed $58 million in two weeks. Troy Walker is an unemployed cartoonist living on unemployment insurance payments of $1,092 a month. Walker says he created the SpongeBob character seven years before his idea was stolen by Viacom, Paramount, Nickelodeon and SpongeBob’s alleged creator, Stephen Hillenberg. He has sued them for $1.5 billion in California Federal Court.
Walker alleges he created a comic strip, “Bob Spongee, The Unemployed Sponge,” in November 1991, to cheer folks up during the first Gulf War. “The Bob Spongee character is a cartoon depiction of a kitchen utility sponge composed of eyes, nose, mouth, arms, legs, and shoes,” the suit states. “The ‘Bob Spongee’ comic strip depicted ‘Bob’ as a working class guy, who happened to be a real ‘kitchen sponge,’” the suit states. Bob lives in a house on Apple Street with his wife, Linda, and their daughter, Bubbles. “The Bob Spongee house on Apple Street is a major focal point that makes the oddity of a real-life sponge more realistic,” the suit states. In the first, four-panel strip, Bob’s annoying boss lays him off.
Walker advertised Bob Spongee dolls in March 1992 in the Oakland Tribune, through a series of display ads featuring Bob. He also sold Bob Spongee dolls at street fairs for $3 apiece, the suit states.
In July 2001, a family member informed Walker “that Nickelodeon had a new cartoon show on television called ‘SpongeBob SquarePants,’ based on a working-class kitchen sponge named Bob who lived under the sea in a pineapple house,” the suit states. Nickelodeon introduced SpongeBob SquarePants in 1999. “The first episode was titled: Help Wanted and introduced Sponge Bob as ‘The Unemployed Sponge’ who lives in a Pineapple House under the sea. The oddball character is in fact, a kitchen sponge, composed of arms, legs, eyes, nose and mouth, an identical creation to plaintiff’s creative work.”
In short, SpongeBob SquarePants is “Bob Spongee with a Hollywood makeover,” the suit states. Co-defendant Hillenberg, the suit states, “who remains very mysterious, is known as the creator of ‘Sponge Bob.’ … Mr. Hillenberg is an ocean biologist turned animator who shuns any sort of public interviews.” He allegedly sold the idea of SpongeBob to co-defendants Nickelodeon and Viacom for $500,000. The defendants have created a marketing empire on the sponge named Bob, including TV cartoons, a hit movie, toys, clothing, food, bedding, shoes and household items.
Walker seeks $1.5 billion and a halt to production of SpongeBob items until a trial by jury.
Source: Courthouse.com
I think the guy has a pretty good case.
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But, that's a sad deal!
:dj: - GO TROY WALKER !!!! - 
