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The Apprentice 1

Apprentice concept lawsuit settled out of court

by Andy Dehnart 24 May. 2006 | 6:58 am

The man who sued in federal and state court claiming that the idea for Apprentice was his has settled both cases out of court.

Mark Bethea and Velocity Entertainment Group settled their claims against Mark Burnett, Donald Trump, and NBC, but his lawyers “declined to disclose terms of the settlement,” according to the AP.

Late last week, Mark Bethea’s lawyers sent out a press release saying they were going to trial one week from today, claiming that “Burnett used his idea for a reality-based television show called ‘C.E.O.’ and turned it into ‘The Apprentice.'” Bethea says he “registered a 5-page treatment of his idea for ‘C.E.O.’ with the Writers Guild of America in Los Angeles on August 30, 2000” and later pitched it to Mark Burnett’s producing partner Conrad Riggs.

Lawsuits Against ‘Apprentice’ Settled [AP]
Mark Bethea Idea Theft Case against Mark Burnett Productions Will Begin Trial on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 [press release]

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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