BlueMoon Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based reality TV company, has filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Superior Court in which it alleges Bodog's upcoming "Wild Card Poker" show is virtually identical to it's in-house developed concept for a poker reality show, entitled "Poker Showdown".
The first episode of the Wild Card Poker show is scheduled to air on Fox Sports Net on April 15th from 11pm until 1am. The show was filmed by Fox Sports at the opulent Bodog compound in Costa Rica and is hosted by Calvin Ayre, founder and CEO of Bodog.
Wild Card Poker is a six-episode TV show mixing a $500,000 poker tournament with Costa Rican excursions, Bodog Music artists and a glimpse into the jet-set lifestyle of the show's host, Bodog's founder and playboy-billionaire Calvin Ayre.
BlueMoon Entertainment is a television production company based in Los Angeles specializing in reality and documentary programming. The company has produced lots of high profile reality TV shows over the course of a decade for virtually every major TV network, including ABC, FOX, NBC, ESPN, E! and MTV. Among the reality shows it was responsible for are “The Real World”, “Vacation Swap”, “Switched”, and “For Better or for Worse.”
On April 4, 2006, BlueMoon Entertainment filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Bodog of copying BlueMoon's format for a poker reality show for use in Bodog's own Wild Card Poker show.
According to BlueMoon it provided BoDog with: "complete project disclosure and submitted [...] numerous proposal and development materials, including project overviews and synopsis, episodic outlines, distribution and marketing breakdowns, and production schedules with full budget analysis [for a poker reality show entitled Poker Showdown]" from May to August 2005.
Prior to providing these details BoDog and BlueMoon entered into a Non Disclosure Agreement in which BoDog agreed to "not disclose any confidential information or trade secrets regarding [BlueMoon's] show concept with anyone except [BlueMoon], and/or high-level BoDog officers or employees on a strict 'need to know' basis."
In the complaint filed by BlueMoon it is seeking damages for breach of contract, breach of implied contract, breach of confidence and misappropriation of ideas. BlueMoon also asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to grant a preliminary injunction against BoDog and Fox Sports to prevent the Wild Card Poker show to air on the Fox Sports Network.
However on April 5, 2006 a judge from the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that BlueMoon is not entitled to an injunction, which means the Wild Card Poker show will air as scheduled.
Bodog is currently attempting to settle things with BlueMoon. When asked to comment a spokesman for BoDog said: "We have retained counsel to respond to the allegations being made as against us and our Defense and Counterclaim will be filed with the Court in due course. We are planning to meet with the Plaintiffs and their counsel to attempt to resolve this matter without recourse to further litigation."