Chook Me!

Does robot chicken(and similar) steal characters and stuff?

I'm wanting to know if they steal characters/shows/episodes from other series without permission because I'm making a small animated series and I don't want robot chicken making my series look like crap. If they do have some legal rights on doing this, is there a way to prevent them from using my characters?

Public Comments

1. They don't steal, they parody. And may I ask why you think your small series will even go pass the creators eyes? Just keeping it real....
2. When you create a series, the characters and certain elements are protected under copyright law. Copyright basically means that no one else can use your artistic work or intellectual property unless the use falls under certain exceptions, such as fair use for education purposes, short clips or small pieces for criticism, or satirical parody. The sketches on Robot Chicken, South Park, Family Guy, SNL, Mad TV, even the Boondocks and Family Guy generally fall under the umbrella of parody, as the writers aren't stealing characters or ideas for their own use but rather playing off of them for humor or comedic commentary. Most people understand this and play along. Some are jerks about it, and depending on the show and the network, get their way. However, on a show like South Park, fighting back often means getting hurt worse. (Think Tom Cruise, who would like you to know he is not a fudge packer.) All of this is borrowing trouble though. You're making an animated series, but you have no way of knowing if it will be successful enough to draw the attention of the writers of any of these shows. They wouldn't 'steal' your characters and make them do new things - if they did, you could sue. And if you have enough of a cultural impact to merit parody or reference, be happy and go with it. The folks who look like good sports are always more popular.