‘MacGuyver’ Creator May Sue Over ‘MacGruber’

It appears that Lee Zlotoff, the creator of the TV series ‘MacGyver’ is considering a major lawsuit against Relativity Media over the film ‘MacGruber’. Lee Zlotoff is contemplating a trademark and or copyright infringement lawsuit, as well as possible “unfair competition claim” against Relativity and distributor Universal Pictures. They would also likely seek an injunction to halt the release of ‘MacGruber’. Zlotoff holds the rights to make a ‘MacGyver film’, which he has been developing New Line Cinema with producers Raffaella De Laurentiis and Martha De Laurentiis. The merit of the potential lawsuit will come down to Relativity’s “fair use” of existing parody rights vs. Zlotoff’s intellectual property rights.