Seth MacFarlane Wins ‘Ted’ Copyright Battle

Seth MacFarlane has won a copyright infringement lawsuit over his hit comedy Ted.

Last year, bosses at Bengal Mangle Productions hit the Family Guy star with a lawsuit claiming they created a vulgar teddy bear character, called Charlie, and MacFarlane ripped off their creation for his film.

In the lawsuit, which also names producers, film studio Media Rights Capital and distributor Universal Studios as defendants, company executives claim that, like Ted, Charlie is “a generally vulgar yet humorous character,” who was featured in a web series that became a hit online between July, 2009 and June, 2012, when Ted hit cinemas.

However, Bengal Mangle chiefs lost the lawsuit last Wednesday, when a federal judge in Los Angeles dismissed the case.

Executives at Media Rights Capital released a statement about the dismissal on Monday calling the suit “without merit”.

It reads: “The plaintiff has conceded that the Ted character was independently created by Seth MacFarlane using his own efforts and creativity.”

A representative for MacFarlane says the comedian “does not intend to countersue”.

The sequel to the blockbuster comedy, Ted 2, hits cinemas in June.

Photo Credit:Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com