Red Hot Chili Peppers suing US TV network over Californication copyright
THE RED HOT Chili Peppers are suing the US network, Showtime, over the name of their new hit series, Californication.
The new show, a dark, satirical look at modern sexual manners starring former X Files star David Duchovny, shares the name of the Peppers' 1999 album and hit single and they claim, using it for a programme title is tantamount to stealing their identity.
Frontman, Anthony Kiedis, said: 'Californication is the signature CD, video and song of the band's career.'
The band are suing for unspecified damages and are seeking an injunction to stop Showtime using the word.
But the show's creator, Tom Kapinos, claims the term 'Californication' predates the Chili Peppers' album. He said: 'Apparently, in the Seventies, there were bumper stickers that said "Don't Californicate Oregon" because Californians were coming up there and I just thought it was a great, great title.'
Intellectual property expert Andres Guadamuz, from the University of Edinburgh, said: 'I would be very surprised if the Red Hot Chili Peppers win this case.
'It is almost impossible to copyright a word and if it is not even original, then their chances go down even futher.'
