Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Soap Opera Network Community

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Prospect Park Sues ABC Over ‘One Life To Live’ & ‘All My Children’ Licensing Agreement

Featured Replies

  • Member

If ABC wasn't willing to air the ads for OLTL due to Howarth well that is something that PP could sue about. There was a media case years ago how SOD didn't want to include an ad from Soap Opera Now (the famous soap newsletter)...and in court SOD lost and had to run it even if they were a competing publication.

Glad to hear that the URLs are no longer pointing to ABC.com, that was one item I can understand PP being upset about as that was ridiculous.

  • Replies 725
  • Views 51.9k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Member

Normally I'd agree. Unless they were explicitly told they wouldn't be making those kind of moves without consultation. If GH did bend or break that usage agreement, then who knows..

But the lawsuit says that PP *did* have to be consulted, and weren't. As I said before, it seems a mess in that respect too--COle and Hope were killed over a year back when PP seemed the most dead. Who would they have consulted? And if they had consulted anyway what would the answer have been? Was anyone creatively involved with soaps on the PP team? (I assume the execs prob still would have thought it was a bad idea to kill a character they had rights to--even if they had no knowledge of who that character was, but...)

  • Member

You are assuming PP placed limits because they are now saying they did. Sorry, I don't believe that. PP was negotiating with ABC/GH up until about 6 weeks ago and didn't demand Cope be resurrected?

The issue is, if someone leaves the negotiating table, then and only then often the other party will start bringing out all the grievances as opposed to letting them lie.

That's happened in more cases than this one.

GH's original exits for the 3 were, I believe, John and Sam and Todd and Carly make love, then the 3 are all called away by a natural disaster in Llanview. No indication of a permanent exit and a catalyzing event in Llanview proper - I can see why PP shut those down. It's basically GH pissing all over the turf.

  • Member

I sorta assumed ABC wouldn't even consider buying their advertising in the first place--I'm kinda amazed they did.

They probably did it to gain some kind of favor with PP. At the time, they were more than likely keeping Todd on GH. Now that this is not the case, depending on the language in the contract, ABC may be forced to air the promos or lose major bucks.

  • Member

But the lawsuit says that PP *did* have to be consulted, and weren't. As I said before, it seems a mess in that respect too--COle and Hope were killed over a year back when PP seemed the most dead. Who would they have consulted? And if they had consulted anyway what would the answer have been? Was anyone creatively involved with soaps on the PP team? (I assume the execs prob still would have thought it was a bad idea to kill a character they had rights to--even if they had no knowledge of who that character was, but...)

It's a fair question, and probably part of the issue. I suspect neither side was very active in communication at that point. But if PP did in fact have refusal rights and were glossed over, that's that.

I had a feeling ABC would throw a tantrum about Todd debuting on OLTL weeks before Roger returns to GH onscreen.

Edited by Vee

  • Member

To me, both companies did something wrong:

ABC messed up by:

- Giving ME and KA 3-year contracts, even though they only had John and Starr for a year (PP is/was under no obligation to renew that lease)

- Apparently not consulting PP on OLTL characters' storylines (if it was in the contract)

- Connecting Tomas to Alcazar (Tomas is not one of the seven OLTL characters that were leased back to ABC, RC/FV had no right to mess with that character, that would be like RC/FV trying to connect Lucky Spencer to Eric Brady on Days)

- Not turning over the URLs to PP even though PP paid for them (what use does ABC have for them?)

- Not running the OLTL ads that PP paid ABC to run (I can understand this one a bit so that viewers are not confused by RH)

PP messed up by:

- Not raising hell sooner/basically allowing ABC/RC/FV to run rampant

ABC wants PP OLTL to fail because RC gets his favorites back, ABC gets control of OLTL back, and wouldn't it have been embarassing if OLTL did better online than on ABC?

Disney has been on PP's side, because if PP succeeds, they are making money without doing anything. Disney will probably still license GH to PP when ABC cancels it so they can continue to make money off of it.

  • Member

They should look bad to everyone, and I'm not pro-ABC. PP said nothing while this "breach" was ongoing for 14 months, and after they lose the battle of the 3, they sue ABC/GH? They they look like sore losers!

What would benefit PP if they sued ABC 14 months ago as you and others seem to be holding against them that they didn't speak up sooner???

And how do you know something wasn't said between PP and ABC?

If ABC was playing games all along, PP was smart to keep giving them more and more rope to hang themselves by waiting to file a lawsuit.

  • Member

You are assuming PP placed limits because they are now saying they did. Sorry, I don't believe that.

This is a legal case, they wouldn't claim something they couldn't back up with the original papers.

  • Member

that's a lie.. He folded the PC Press and moved the HQ of The Sun to PC

regardless it is the same damn thing. The Sun is a location from OLTL so The Sun is OLTL/PP Property

  • Member

I really hope this isn't the reason why he isn't on the cast bc it would be easy to just say it wasn't true and the resemblance is a coincidence.

Same.

  • Member
. If GH had an initial agreement to give PP consulting privileges, why not get the ending they wanted? Why allow all 3 to leave being madly in love with major GH characters? So I don't think what many want to believe was in that agreement really was.

Because they were obviously asleep at the wheel. And ABC apparently didn't bother to go out of their way to ask as they agreed to do. None of this negates or prove that it's not in the original agreement.

  • Member

I think in the end it is business and will be settled. And someday, if these shows work out, GH will still go to PP. I just wish it would be settled sooner.

I think GH has tried every underhanded trick in the book to not have to negotiate according to the terms of their original agreement or give up their ego's share of OLTL - from gossip to bloggers to dragging their feet on petty [!@#$%^&*] like websites - and I think they're every bit as petty as PP. I just am tired of watching everyone be petty. They both lost. They both still need to learn to coexist. And apparently at least one party has a problem with not having Todd.

  • Member

The issue is, if someone leaves the negotiating table, then and only then often the other party will start bringing out all the grievances as opposed to letting them lie.

That's happened in more cases than this one.

GH's original exits for the 3 were, I believe, John and Sam and Todd and Carly make love, then the 3 are all called away by a natural disaster in Llanview. No indication of a permanent exit and a catalyzing event in Llanview proper - I can see why PP shut those down. It's basically GH pissing all over the turf.

I read about the 3 endings as well, and the characters didn't need to copulate. The fact is, they were very much in love when they left. I would have said "resurrect Cope" as the ending to Starr. If PP had some influence, they sure didn't use it wisely.

  • Member

I read about the 3 endings as well, and the characters didn't need to copulate. The fact is, they were very much in love when they left.

Whether or not they were all deeply in love, in the material that aired they ended it - which they apparently did not do in the original versions. Those, as well as the need to latch John and Starr further to the show in the final weeks, read to me like a love letter from Ron and GH to himself and those characters. "We're parted for now..."

  • Member

All I have to say is that, if this thing actually makes it to a courtroom, I hope Karen Wolek takes the stand.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Recently Browsing 0

  • No registered users viewing this page.

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.