Simon Fuller Sues Fox Over X Factor Exclusion

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It’s Simon vs. Simon in a battle of music industry titans.

Simon Fuller, the creator of American Idol, has filed a legal complaint against Fox Broadcasting and FremantleMedia. At issue is former Idol host Simon Cowell’s forthcoming U.S. version of the British hit, The X Factor.

Fuller says the companies failed to honor an agreement from a previous copyright lawsuit he filed against Cowell’s rival reality show in the UK in 2005.

In that legal saga, Fuller claimed Cowell, with whom he has an uneasy relationship at best, stole his idea for the series.

Fuller’s publicist said that he filed a legal complaint Fox and FremantleMedia’s “refusal to honor a 2005 contract that granted Mr. Fuller an executive producer credit and fees on The X Factor television program in the U.S.”

Fox and Fremantle hit back in their own statement, reading: “Mr. Fuller has not been hired, nor performed any duties, on the U.S. version of The X Factor.”

“His suit seeks payment and credit as an executive producer despite his neither having been approved by the required parties, nor hired, as such.”

“We believe this lawsuit is without merit and we expect to prevail.’

[Photos: WENN.com/FayesVision]