A San Diego man is taking Conan O'Brien and the "Conan" team to court, alleging the talk show host stole jokes posted on social media.
Robert Alexander Kaseberg has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in California federal court, claiming Conan O’Brien, TBS, “Conan” Executive Producer Jeff Ross and “Conan” Head Writer Mike Sweeney stole four of his jokes, first seen on his blog and his Twitter account. He filed the lawsuit on July 22.
"We at Conaco firmly believe there is no merit to this lawsuit," said Drew Shane, a spokesperson for Conaco, LLC, to NBC San Diego in a statement. Conaco, LLC is the production company behind "Conan."
The first joke allegedly stolen was posted on Kaseberg’s online blog on Jan. 14, poking fun at a Delta Airlines flight.
“A Delta flight this week took off from Cleveland to New York with just two passengers. And they fought over control of the armrest the entire flight,” the joke read, according to the lawsuit.
That same evening, the joke appeared in Conan's late-night monologue, the lawsuit said.
A second joke posted to his blog and Twitter account on Feb. 3 about Tom Brady later appeared on the show the following day, the suit claims.
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"Tom Brady said he wants to give his MVP truck to the man who won the game for the Patriots. So enjoy that truck, Pete Carroll," the second joke reads, according to the lawsuit.
He posted the third joke listed in the action on his personal blog and Twitter account on Feb. 17.
"The Washington Monument is ten inches shorter than previously thought. You know the winter has been cold when a monument suffers from shrinkage," the third joke reads, according to the lawsuit.
That same night it appeared in the comedian's monologue.
A fourth joke posted on June 9 made fun of streets named after Bruce Jenner, who had just revealed he was changing his name to Caitlyn Jenner amid his gender transition; the joke also appeared in the monologue that same day, the lawsuit alleges.
Kaseberg did not receive money for the jokes or any credit for the jokes, the lawsuit says.
He is seeking more than $600,000 in damages.
Andy Richter, O'Brien's sidekick on the show, poked fun at the lawsuit on Twitter.
OH NO WE'VE BEEN FOUND OUT!! Conan O'Brien Targeted in Lawsuit Claiming He Lifted Jokes from Twitter http://t.co/0uOcqQIMnK
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) July 27, 2015
There's no possible way more than one person could have concurrently had these same species-elevating insights! THESE TAKES ARE TOO HOT!
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) July 27, 2015