Iowa TV Show Owner Sues Competitor for Comments Posted to Blog

The Quad-City Times reports that the owner of a Spanish-language television show sued the producer of a recently launched competitor program for comments posted on an online blog.

According to the Times’s story online, Alan Rivera, Teresa Cordova (Rivera’s wife), and Tarsicio Macias initially planned to produce and broadcast a show together. They had an oral partnership from March through June of this year, and then the partnership fell through.

Rivera reportedly posted comments about the failed venture on his blog under the heading “When Your Idea is Stolen.” The entry included the name and logo of Macias’s television program, and Rivera called Macias “unscrupulous” and a “leech,” and claimed Macias “stole” the idea, name, and logo for the TV show from Rivera and his wife.

Macias responded to the offending blog post by suing Rivera in state court for libel, unfair competition, and trade name dilution. According to Iowa Courts Online, Macias filed his suit in Scott County on September 28, 2009.