Author claims Flanimals plagiarism

An author is threatening to sue Ricky Gervais for plagiarism over his best-selling children's book Flanimals.

John Savage claims the comedian copied his work, Captain Pottie's Wildlife Encyclopedia, which also features cartoon illustrations of fictional creatures.

Savage, of Norwich, claims Flanimals is ‘broadly the same in content and character’ to his book, published four years before Gervais’s bestseller was released in 2004.

He says he is suing the Office star for an unspecified sum relating to profits generated from Flanimals, plus interest – as well as requesting that all existing copies of Gervais’s book be destroyed.

He has reportedly filed a High Court writ, although Gervais’s representatives say they have not been made aware of any legal proceedings.

The writ is believed to claim: ‘The infringing work is not only substantially the same in artistic and in literary content - a number of the characters are similarly named and drawn - but share a common general format.

‘As a result of the defendant's wholesale copying of the work in his infringing work, the claimant has suffered significant financial hardship and loss, not to mention damage to his reputation as an illustrator.’

The book has spawned several sequels and is being made into a Hollywood movie.

Gervias’s spokesmerson said: ‘This story goes back several years, when John Savage first made contact with Ricky Gervais' representatives. At the time it was made clear that the concept and illustrations of Flanimals pre-existed John Savage's work. To date Ricky Gervais has not received any formal court papers from Mr Savage.’

To compare the books, Captain Pottie's Wildlife Encyclopaedia is online here, while this website is dedicated to Flanimals.

Published: 11 Aug 2010