Defamer
If you came to Californication without knowing much about the Showtime series, you'd be forgiven if you'd have expected the familiar Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Californication" to play under the show's titles; failing that, you'd think at least some reference to the band's hit 1999 album of the same name might figure into the action or back story. As it turns out, however, no permission from the band was secured by the network or the show's creators, who merely saw in the lexical hybrid a catchy, succinct term covering the shows primary themes of fucking and life in Southern California.
Now, reports THR ESQ, the Chili Peppers are suing:
The Peppers don't claim Federal trademark infringement. Instead they allege state law claims of unfair competition, dilution of value of the "Californication" mark and unjust enrichment."Californication is the signature CD, video and song of the band's career, and for some TV show to come along and steal our identity is not right," band frontman Anthony Kiedis says [in a press release].
One would have thought that at least one clearance report red flag might have gone up alerting the network to the possibility of legal troubles down the line should they have chosen to borrow Kiedis's coinage without paying for the privilege. Still, faced with the series's rather cumbersome original working title of Midlife Crisis Featuring Bitter, Boozy Writer Who Gets Barrels of Pussy in an Improbable L.A. Teeming With Hot Bookworm Groupies, we can understand how they might have perhaps too hastily chosen to go with the far catchier one-word moniker.
Comments
That's some hubris on the Chili Peppers' part, as the band is lucky to have thus far avoided legal action from Van Halen for co-opting the latter group's signature m.o. of ham-fisted double-entendres.
I didn't know you could copyright a title. Oh well.
How about "forniCALIation"? Sounds like something Julie Andrews would sing (even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious).
Malibooty, perhaps?
Not to mention that the J. Geils Band already used "Californicatin' " as a song title on their "You're Gettin' Even..." album back in the mid '80's.
RHCP should be thankful they can afford great lawyers. I'd sue them for turning into musical wimps.
Not to be confused with the band Motherboy.
So all those "Don't Californicate Oregon" stickers I saw in the '70s don't count?
Perhaps Showtime should get more specific about where in California, and more specific about what kind of fornication is involved.
May I suggest Los Analingus?
i've been waiting for this to happen.
The only way to settle this dispute is a Jello-wrestling match between 90's sexy Mulder to 90's sexy Chad Smith.
(Early 90's if possible.)
Somewhere, Mike Patton is smirking and running his fingers through his greasy hair.
Didn't Tim Buckley come up with it originally? @Myles: Somewhere, Mike Patton is smirking and running his hands through Dave Navarro's greasy hair.
Oooh all the hot chicks are reading groupies now, didn't you know?
@procrastinator, esq.:
Venerealice Beach?
Malibukakke?
Santa Monicarnal?
@procrastinator, esq.: Actually, the only place in California that a one-hit wonder writer would be scoring this level of pussy is in his own sad imagination.
Don't forget "Don't Californicate Colorado"!
Or maybe it was Oregon.
Or one of those square or almost square states!
Shouldn't RHCP be suing themselves for plagarism? Considering they've just been spinnning out the same song for 7 years...
The Chili's should also sue the restaurant chain of the same name because I always confuse Chili's with the band so like when my bff says let's go to Chili's I'm thinking oh cool where are they playing? Fer sure.
Also they should sue Showtime for using the name Weeds which was going to be the name of the forthcoming Chili's album.
OMG coffee buzz!
I am totally starting a class action suit against Intercourse, PA. What, did they invent fucking?
Hmmm..."Getting L.A.'d?"
Okay, maybe not.
In other news, the Beetles sue the RHCP and McCormack's Spice separately for appropriating the word "pepper."
El Lay?
Can Clear Channel sue RHCP for diluting the value of radiowaves since 1991?
They're just pissed because they weren't asked to furnish one of their mediocre "tunes" for the soundtrack.
Team Lame Duchovny TV-Project!
(Why don't they simply phoneticize it--Callyfornykayshun--I mean, y'all know that's how most fine Americans think it's spelled, anyhow).
ACTUALLY, the name 'Californication' was originally ripped off from Faith No More. According to Kiedis' book 'Scar Tissue', the name came to him while he was wandering the scabby markets of India. So who's right?? I say FIGHT!!! (and my money's on Mike Patton - he's small but built like a pitbull)
I'd tell the RHCP to grow up but there's really no chance of that ever happening. BTW, Anthony Kiedis also came up with the names for every bridge in L.A.; yeah, he *is* that good. I'm just glad that the worst lyricist in rock is taking credit for all his wrongs. Anything yet on a public apology for the lyrics in "Around the World"? Ralphie on the Simpsons could come up with better. And Burgess Meredith *did* come up with better in the outtakes for Grumpy Old Men.
Everytime I watched that show I just knew something was about to brew on its title.
@ BUSTERBLUTH: Ralphie on the Simpsons came up with 'Ralph Wiggum' by Bloodhound Gang: [uk.youtube.com]
What's more, it's way better than anything Kiedis could write while sober!
RHCP have just realised they have a better chance of making money being litigants rather than musicians...
Time magazine, Monday August 21, 1972 there is a story about this particular moniker (good ol' wiki).
[www.time.com],9171,877985,00.html
Evidence for the plaintiff:
Exhibit A: A time machine stolen by David Duchovney from the set of X-files and used to spread plagarized ideas for bumper stickers in the early 70's
Makes me wonder if Creed should sue someone...
Start a discussion:
Login with your username and password below. Or comment on this post via email.
Forgot your username or password? New User?