Man Says He Came Up With Idea For "The Apprentice" - Suing

[matcom]

<snip>

A Marina del Rey businessman is fired up about what he claims was the theft of his idea for Donald Trump's hit show "The Apprentice."

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles late Wednesday, Mark Bethea alleged that Trump, Mark Burnett Productions and NBC Universal have made more than $100 million from a show that he pitched to Burnett's firm more than three years ago.

Burnett, the producer behind "Survivor," on Thursday disputed Bethea's allegations, saying he dreamed up "The Apprentice" in December 2002.

Bethea, 43, operates a company called Velocity Entertainment. He last made headlines in November when singer Michael Jackson and his lawyer were secretly taped riding on a charter jet operated by a company Bethea ran at the time. Jackson was flying to Santa Barbara to surrender to authorities to face child molestation charges.

In his lawsuit, Bethea claimed he came up with the idea for a show called "C.E.O." in 2000 that featured contestants living together and competing for a job with a six-figure salary. He also alleged he suggested the show star Trump, whose weekly "You're fired" is the signature line of the show.

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-fi-apprentice17sep17.story