Be Excellent To Each Other

Terribly excited to be making a shiny new thread here, although mostly because I find myself unable to contribute to much else and I remain unsure of my welcome. But in any case, let me begin by dragging up that tired old website people still mystifyingly visit.

Recently I've had a truckload of people saying 'THIS TV SHOW IS RIPPING YOU OFF', and after a cursory glance, yep, it certainly looks like it. Seems that a terribly unimaginative tv bod somewhere thinks enough time has passed that they can rip off a concept without telling me/asking permission. So the questions here are:

1) Am I actually being ripped off?
2) If so, should I give a toss?
3) Should I go all Viacom and engage a lawyer type to send a letter full of terms like 'As I'm sure you're aware, my client runs a website that blahblahblah and we consider Monster Munchies is an attempt to pass off and call into the mind of the viewer blahblah nauseum' etc?

Answers on the back of a postcard, or possibly posted as a message in this here thread. Ta!

Dunno, but all are welcome here as far as I'm concerned!

I don't understand the question, or perhaps I just need context. In what way is this show ripping you off?

Mr. Gnomes created a website a some time ago called http://www.pimpthatsnack.com, as I recall.

Do you run Pimp That Snack then?

Blimey, that site's almost 5 years old (and I'm surprised the original MTV-baiting address still worked)

ComicalGnomeBanjos has/had a website where he made supermassive snacks, so large in fact that they had their own moons.

EDIT: Oh aye & welcome back/home.

'Run' is a loose term, more like 'still keep it online' while ignoring it almost entirely. I still have dozens of snacks to put up, as soon as I find the time/inclination.

Then you should definitely sue, we'll need the cash for when Grim... gets sued over JC's rant over there --->

Are you losing income because of that site?

Saw an advert for this last night and it reminded me of PTS
I think you should ask for some involvement / royalties

Of their site? Sincerely doubt it. If you search for any kind of giant snack you'll get my site. But therein lies the basis for argument; I'm evidently the prime reference for giant snacks so it's a concept rip-off for their TV show. Their episodes are pretty much a feature for all of my most popular snacks, presumably for financial gain.

I'm sure there's a case, and at this point I can easily afford to engage a lawyer type to make the argument for me. It's more a question of whether I want to undertake the stress of such a thing.

It's a "look and taste" question.

And yet you wouldn't pay a quite reasonable price for a VW Fox? For shame, sir. The motor industry weeps.

Fuckin' throw the book at them, my son.

Hello.

Are you hiding from the chaos in the birdbath, too? Phwoar. Etc.

Whaaaat?

Welcome back, again, CG.

I will pay you, sir, to represent me at my next car purchase.

Mr Mentski, you dog, I had no idea you were here. Phwoar. How are the new 5.1 speakers working out?

I was on your site the other day when my friends mentioned it in the pub. I can never get over how good some of the submissions are, particularly the giant Jammie Dodger.

Christ, it's another rival forum! And they have ASHENS

Oh wait. It's actually Ashen's forum.

Fo shizzle, the skill of some individuals was truly immense. Had the site been more consistently popular I'm sure I could have done some kind of bizarre revenue sharing scheme to attract bigger and better efforts. It's hitting the 5 year point now, in another 5 I'll have to decide if it's worth renewing the trademark.

Why not look at a similar deal to how case modding sites work?

ie: get companies to sponsor 'builds'

The horse is long dead Dave, sadly.

Here, but not quite. It's all Gaywood's fault.

The speakers are lovely, my arms are still recovering.

...And I still have to work out what in chuff I'm going to do for post 1000 over in t'other forum - as I certainly wasn't going to waste it.

I'm impressed at your ability to tweet and carry speakers at the same time tbh.

For 1k I think you should show your lovely misanthropic face; the crowds would go wild. Well, I would anyway.

FLOG THAT DONKEY MAN! If only to fuck up Matt Dawson, the fish flogging loon.

If you've got the dosh to afford a lawyer's letter then I'd say go for it. You might get lucky, they'll panic and offer you some cash. Or they might just unleash their Corporate Mega Ninja Lawyers to make the point that "he hasn't updated his site in ages blah blah blah and besides we've never heard of that site anyway blah blah blah and surely m'lud anyone can come up with the concept of making massive snacks blah blah blah and besides THINK OF THE CHILDREN!"

"And look what happened to the LHC suspiciously near to the time he visited!"

Is any man/woman/donkey free from your lechery?

Man, good memory. Besides, that's all been fixed now and only cost a few tens of millions of quid. Plus I got a shiny lump of helium coolant piping out of it.

Evidently not

Surely the speakers should tweet themselves?