News

A federal judge has ruled in favor of Goldin Auctions, its founder Ken Goldin, Netflix, and the producers of the reality TV series "King of Collectibles," dismissing a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against them. The lawsuit was initiated by Gervase Peterson, a former contestant on "Survivor," who alleged that he pitched a concept similar to "King of Collectibles" to Goldin in 2019. Peterson claimed that his idea, titled "The Goldin Boys," was later developed into a show by Wheelhouse Entertainment and subsequently acquired by Netflix, without his involvement.

The contention centered around the similarities Peterson perceived between his pitch and the show, which recently premiered its second season on Netflix. After initially engaging with Peterson, communication reportedly ceased in mid-2020, and shortly thereafter, a production concept similar to Peterson's pitch went into development. Despite these claims, the defense argued that the reality show, which focuses on the operations of Goldin Auctions and Goldin's personal life, was based on generic, unprotectable ideas under the Copyright Act.

Judge Christine O’Hearn of the New Jersey federal district court supported this view, explaining that the elements claimed as protectable by Peterson are considered scènes à faire, a legal doctrine that denotes scenes or themes typical to a genre and thus not subject to copyright protection. She noted that many aspects of reality television fall into this category, including the day-to-day business operations depicted in "King of Collectibles."

Furthermore, Judge O'Hearn highlighted that real-life subjects and typical elements found in reality shows are frequently deemed unprotectable, referencing past legal precedents where similar cases were ruled upon. The judge's dismissal of the case reaffirms the difficulty in copyrighting broad concepts and themes often used in reality television.

"King of Collectibles" has not only managed to clear legal hurdles but has also achieved recognition in the entertainment industry, being nominated for an Emmy award recently.