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Agencies Sue Paramount Over ‘Frasier’ Profits

Sep 29, 2005  •  Post A Comment

Two Hollywood talent agencies have filed suit against Paramount Pictures Corp., accusing the production company of misrepresenting how much net profit it made from the long-running television comedy “Frasier.”

The Jim Preminger Agency and the Kaplan Stahler Gumer Braun Agency, which filed suit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accused Paramount in court documents of inaccurately calculating “Frasier’s” network license fees and net profits and refusing to provide documents that would substantiate exactly how much each agency was owed. The suit seeks an amount claimed to be due to the agencies under the profit agreement and financial damages.

According to the written complaint, the two agencies, along with the Broder Kurland Webb Uffner Agency, packaged “Frasier,” which first aired in 1993 as a spinoff of the 1980’s NBC sitcom “Cheers.”

The suit alleges Paramount has collected “well over one and one-half billion dollars in gross revenue” for the show, but under the definition of “net profits,” the company argues “Frasier” lost more than $200 million.

Neither agency could be reached for comment. A spokesman for Paramount said the company does not comment on pending litigation.