Why isn't Disney getting sued for "High School Musical"?

[roquat]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:16pm

I'm doing this show-from-hell now and I am amazed at the blatant ripoffs (SPOILERS--as if you didn't know)

The basketball guy and the female science geek meet during vacation, are charming and natural with each other, then return to school and give differing accounts of their meeting to their respective cliques (like "Summer Nights" in GREASE)--

They audition for the school musical, in a scene culled directly from "God I Hope I Get It" in A CHORUS LINE (the chord patterns are near-identical)--

They call their friends about this, and the news spreads electronically over the school ("The Telephone Hour" from BYE, BYE BIRDIE, with cellphones)

This news somehow causes their friends to freak out (in the manner of a 1980s John Hughes teenager movie) in a production number entitled "Stick to the Status Quo" (which I think is probably the underscoring in hell) which culminates in all the students singing and dancing on the cafeteria tables (FAME--and the Act Two rousing-chorus closing is also a transparent swipe from "I Sing the Body Electric.")

I know this show's fans aren't old enough to recognize these influences, but don't they see how regressive and recycled this contraption of a show is?

[brandontwin2]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:18pm

I am in the show right now and I pointed out every single one of these when I first heard the music. I think it is disgusting that Disney can get away with it. There is no original material

[Just_John]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:18pm

Because no one could sue them for those reasons.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:21pm

Because maybe even there is a chance that the writers liked musicals and lovingly ripped-off (to quote Spamalot) those scenarios because they were familiar with them. Maybe its an homage.

Plus, I dont think you can copyright those scenarios and the musicals you mentioned weren't the first to use them either.

Nothing is really new.

[roquat]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:24pm

Homage--a plaigarism your lawyer tells you is not actionable.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:34pm

Basically everything you listed is a huge cliche that a ton of other movies and shows have done as well.

[bertandrew2]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 1:01pm

Everything comes from something. Accept the success of HSM as it is giving everyone in this business lots of work.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 1:04pm

"Cliched and derivative" isn't the same as "blatant rip-off", that's why. :P

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 1:18pm

Essentially for the reasons everyone else has mentioned. You cannot copyright general themes, according to the Supreme Court, and unless HSM took the words/music from the other shows there is no possible lawsuit.

[fgreene1938]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 1:25pm

I think it's because the authors of Grease, A Chorus Line and Bye Bye Birdie are so mortified anything they created was the inspiration for HSM that they're in hiding.

By the way, I hear that in the upcoming HSM 4 an opposing basketball team disappears right before the big game while the new senior class is selling meat pies in the gym and singing "The Worst Pies in Albuquerque", then one of the cheerleaders develops bipolar disorder and spends a lot of time singing to her dead teenaged dancer-son Billy, and then the whole cast comes together for a Rumble while Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu sing "A Boy Like That / I Have a Love" to each other...in Spanish. Gotta love Disney.

Updated On: 6/21/09 at 01:25 PM

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 2:48pm

If you are so disgusted that Disney ripped these parts. Why are you even involved with a production?

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 3:28pm

Because "similar" and "identical" aren't the same thing. Plagiarism is very hard to prove. If you were to lift a song (I believe the rule is) nine words and 12 notes have to be sequentially identical for it to qualify in court as stolen material.

Otherwise the four Intel notes could be sued by the Jules Styne estate as plagiarizing the opening of "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Titles of songs, movies, etc., can't be copyrighted at all. There are dozens of songs called "I Love You," for instance. There are three or four (or even more) movies called "Crash."

As far as plots? Unless they're identical, not similar, you wouldn't stand a chance with a lawsuit. Otherwise, "boy meets girl" or "killer goes on rampage for no reason" would land in court every time.

High School Musical isn't a spoof or parody, so it wouldn't be protected under that logic, but just because the authors borrowed from other formula plots or scenarios isn't enough to bring on a lawsuit.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 3:28pm

blah blah blah High School Musical blah blah blah.

Posted: 6/21/09 at 3:29pm

Ah to be young again!

[Liverpool]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 3:52pm

Otherwise the four Intel notes could be sued by the Jules Styne estate as plagiarizing the opening of "Everything's Coming Up Roses."


I can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure you can't sue the actual notes.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 3:55pm

True. You'd have to sue their agents.

Or just sue the treble clef.

Updated On: 6/21/09 at 03:55 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 4:27pm

Okay. That's intentional homage and parody. I did HSM 1 and music-directed HSM 2, both of which are heavily adapted to the stage to include a number of Broadway pop cultural references most definitely NOT in the movie. They're more blatant in HSM 2 On Stage, but still it's intentional and made as homage and parody more than as a rip off.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 8:52pm

The Chorus Line bit is absolutely a parody, and meant to be intentional. The national tour had the cast come out with headshots in front of their faces in that scene It's meant to get a laugh from the few people in the audience that know where that's from.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:24pm

Didn't Disney have legal problems with The Lion King and the Japanese animation studio responsible for Kimba the White Lion which Disney blatantly ripped off, right down to the look of some of the characters?


edited to add link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2VXN0xDTY

Updated On: 6/21/09 at 11:24 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:31pm

Let's just sue "Shrek, the Musical" for it's Broadway references to A Chorus Line, Avenue Q, The Lion King, Wicked, Chicago, Gypsy, etc.!

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:03am

As Just_John said, try getting that through legal.

[teh_pretty]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 7:11am

I think the A Chorus Line reference is to the fact that Alyson Reed, who plays the drama teacher, played Cassie in the film version of the musical.

As for the rest... I concur with everybody else.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 9:58am

HAIRSPRAY also had a few 'homages' in it to the other shows.

Mama Rose's "...for ME!" ending from GYPSY in "The Big Dollhouse"
The multi-level set for ""Without Love" ala "The Telephone Hour" from BYE BYE BIRDIE
Penny's "... I'm a pretty girl, mommma" -- direct line from GYPSY

I'm sure there were a few others in there as well.

Also, THE PRODUCERS had a few 'homages' in it as well.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 11:33am

Avenue Q did, too.

"That's being alive" from The Money Song
"Could it be? Yes, it could, something's coming, something good" from Purpose

[nealb1]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:05pm

Imitation is the highest form of flattery!

What was your point, again?