“American Idol” judge Cowell’s court case delayed

LONDON (Reuters) – A legal battle between British pop
moguls Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell has been postponed until
Thursday amid signs that lawyers may be trying to reach a
settlement out of court.

Fuller, best known as the manager of the Spice Girls band,
has accused Cowell of copying his ideas in the hugely
successful television talent show format.

Cowell, who is famous on British and U.S. television as the
acerbic judge on “Pop Idol” and “American Idol,” created his
own show “The X Factor,” which Fuller said was a rip-off of his
Pop Idol concept.

Cowell has called the legal action “utterly ridiculous.”

The case was scheduled to have opened at the High Court in
London on Wednesday, but was adjourned until Thursday after
lawyers from both sides addressed the judge. Neither Fuller nor
Cowell was in court.

Fuller’s company 19 TV, creator of both Pop Idol and
American Idol, is taking action against Cowell, his firms Simco
and Syco and X Factor producer FremantleMedia, a unit of
pan-European broadcaster RTL Group.

The case could spell the end of a partnership that has
created shows worth tens of millions of dollars. The two
impresarios, who collaborated on Pop Idol, have exported the
show successfully around the world.