Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> Legal Blog Watch

Legal News

: Legal Blog Watch

Actor Rainn Wilson Files Counterclaim Against Think Brilliant

By Eric Lipman

Earlier this month, Portland, Ore. web developer Think Brilliant filed a lawsuit (.pdf) in federal court against "The Office" TV star Rainn Wilson, alleging that Wilson failed to grant Think Brilliant an ownership interest in his SoulPancake company and affiliated website, as promised in return for Think Brilliant's services. Apparently, Wilson has fired back, filing counterclaims (.pdf) in which he asserts that Think Brilliant "fraudulently" used money fronted by SoulPancake to develop an unrelated secret project called Ziphook. Here's the story from the Portland Oregonian's blog. Reading the complaint and the counterclaims side-by-side, it sounds like a typical startup-related lovers' quarrel. Wilson and SoulPancake say that Think Brilliant promised to devote all of its resources and energy to working on SoulPancake, but, instead, while Think Brilliant's operations were being entirely funded by SoulPancake, started working on Ziphook. There are disputes about what sort of equity stakes were promised back and forth, and everybody thinks they got screwed by everyone else. The thought of Wilson on the stand (in character) is priceless. Chances are, of course, that this dispute is settled long before that would ever be a reality. Whichever party is on the long end of that settlement should be...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on July 27, 2010 (boomark / email).