"It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication"... The Red Hot Chili Peppers have sued Showtime Networks over the title of that craptastic TV show "Californication," which was the name of the band's hit 1999 album and song. The lawsuit alleges unfair competition, dilution of the value of the name and unjust enrichment, claiming the title Californication is "inherently distinctive, famous ... and immediately associated in the mind of the consumer" with the half-naked, animalistic Red Hot Chili Peppers. (All true)
"Californication is the signature CD, video and song of the band's career, and for some TV show to come along and steal our identity is not right," the band's lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, said in a statement.
The television series stars David Duchovny as a novelist suffering from writers' block and a mid-life crisis.
As if stealing the name weren't enough, the show's producers had the balls to feature a character named "Dani California," which is also the title of a Chili Peppers song released in 2006! This fact was also noted in the lawsuit.
The suit seeks a permanent injunction barring Showtime and the other defendants from using the title "Californication" for the show, damages and restitution and disgorgement of all profits derived by the defendants.
In July 2007, the show's creator Tom Kapinos told reporters at a Television Critics Association press tour that he first heard the term in reference to Oregon. "Apparently in the '70s there were bumper stickers that said 'Don't Californicate Oregon,' because Californians were coming up there, and I just thought it was a great, great title for this show," said Kapinos.
