'Ted' Studios, Seth MacFarlane Sued for Stealing Foul-Mouthed Teddy Bear (Exclusive) — hollywoodreporter.com

A California production company is claiming that Seth MacFarlane and his company stole the idea for the R-rated talking teddy bear in the hit movie Ted. According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Bengal Mangle Productions created a screenplay called Acting School Academy in 2008 that featured a foul-mouthed, womanizing teddy bear named Charlie. The suit says the Charlie character, like Ted, lives in a "human, adult world with all human friends. Charlie has a penchant for drinking, smoking, prostitutes, and is a generally vulgar yet humorous character," states the lawsuit, which also names Ted producer Media Rights Capital and distributor Universal Studios.

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