Judge Denies Restraining Order Against ‘The Glass House’!

Today, District Judge Gary Feess denies a restraining order wanted by CBS, that would prevent The Glass House from premiering on June 18. That means, The Glass House will air as planned.

Feess said he did not think the CBS argument that Glass House would violate the copyright on Big Brother was very strong, adding that production techniques are not a form of intellectual property. “I don’t know that Glass House will have any impact on Big Brother,” the judge said in his courtroom in downtown Los Angeles. “Big Brother will go forward.”

The judge said a TRO could be very anti-competitive, so the court must consider such a motion very carefully. He said California law favors competition, and the fact that some of the same people worked on both Glass House and Big Brother is not a reason to see it as a violation. He said a producer or crewmember’s knowledge and experience is portable from one show to another.

The judge said he did not see that there were trade secrets being stolen because CBS has allowed tours of the Big Brother set and control room, and much of what is being done is common industry practice.

CBS issued the following statement on Friday:

“We appreciate the Court’s continuing consideration of this case and our request for an injunction. Win, lose or draw on the TRO, we fully intend to proceed with our claims against Disney/ABC for copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets over The Glass House, which may still warrant more injunction proceedings depending on the content of each episode. At the same time, we will move forward with our individual claims for liability and liquidated damages against any current The Glass House producer who violated their Big Brother confidentiality agreement.”

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What do you think about the judge’s decision? Do you agree? Are you going to watch The Glass House premiere on Monday? Leave us a comment below and let us know!