14 DAY TRIAL // Ad agency H2M is taking Cartoon Network to court over claims that it ripped off a North Dakota Department of Transportation PSA character in the creation of the new series of “Annoying Orange,” a trailer for which is included above.
One of the PSAs developed by H2M for the state is embedded below, at the end of this post.
The AP informs that the ad agency is taking the new series’ producers to court, but also Annoying Orange LLC and Annoying Orange Inc., which have created viral characters based on the same Talking Orange featured in the PSAs.
“Like ‘The Talking Orange,’ ‘Annoying Orange’ appears to be speaking with a ‘voice’ that is perfectly in sync with the movement of the actor's mouth, lips, teeth and tongue,” the lawsuit states.
It also argues that both producers were raised and educated in North Dakota, which means they may have been exposed to the Talking Orange ads.
The ad agency is seeking damages and an injunction to ban the producers from further making money off the extremely annoying talking orange.
