Seth MacFarlane Sued for Allegedly Stealing Idea for Ted

A California production company is claiming that Seth MacFarlane stole the idea of a foul-mouthed Teddy bear for his movie Ted.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bengal Mangle Productions filed a lawsuit Tuesday stating that its 2008 screenplay Acting School Academyfeatured a raunchy teddy named Charlie. Like Ted, Charlie lives in a "human, adult world with all human friends. Charlie has a penchant for drinking, smoking, prostitutes, and is a generally vulgar yet humorous character," the lawsuit states.

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Acting School Academy went on to become a web series on YouTube, Facebook, iTunes, Funny or Die and Vimeo. The series allegedly received at least 1.2 million views between July 2009 and June 2012, when Ted was released. Ted became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of 2012 and a sequel is already in the works.

In addition to MacFarlane, who directed, co-wrote, produced and starred in the film, the lawsuit also names Ted producer and distributor Universal Studios, and MacFarlane's company Fuzzy Door Productions. The suit alleges copyright infringement and seeks unspecified damages.

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