Seth MacFarlane is being sued for stealing the Ted premise

Seth MacFarlane is being sued for stealing the Ted premise
(Image credit: Facebook.com/Pages/Ted-Movie-2012)

The titular character in the 2012 comedy Ted is a foul-mouthed, drug-addled teddy bear and the brainchild of creator Seth MacFarlane. Or is it?

A California production company called Bengal Mangle Productions claims that its own teddy bear Charlie, who appeared in the web series Charlie The Abusive Teddy and Acting School Academy, was MacFarlane's inspiration for the hard-drinking bear in his 2012 film. The company is suing MacFarlane for copyright infringement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.