Quibi is hoping to pave the way forward in media with a new spin on delivering audiences content, as its shows are all less than 10 minutes and are only available on phones, but their attempts at fresh content are already landing them in some hot water, as some fans are calling the service out for seemingly stealing the entire concept of new show Memory Hole from arts collective Everything Is Terrible!. The series, which is hosted by Will Arnett, presents footage found on VHS tapes and injects commentary over the footage. Everything Is Terrible! began in 2007 as an effort to collect and compile various bizarre and absurd footage found on VHS tapes, editing them together to create new experiences.
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Everything Is Terrible! launched their Memory Hole project in 2014, which typically uses home video footage from found VHS tapes and edits them together with a new soundtrack to create hypnotic and sometimes disturbing compilations. Following the launch of Quibi earlier this week, Everything Is Terrible! pointed out that Memory Hole not only borrows the name and concept from their own project, but also called attention to how the title card of the series resembles their own logos.
Looks like @Quibi made a show that presents crazy found footage clips and called it MEMORY HOLE (of all the things you could have called it… seriously?). Itโs also deeply disappointing to see our logo from 10+ years ago completely ripped off as the look for the entire show. pic.twitter.com/fmduCXkb8M
โ Everything Is Terrible! (@E_I_T) April 6, 2020
While neither Quibi nor Will Arnett have addressed the situation, one of the media companies who produces the program, Shout! Factory, claims the program is entirely original.
“Memory Hole is an original show,” the company tweeted. “The name of the show was inspired by George Orwell’s 1984, and the graphics are based on generic retro ’80s arcade games. Anything that suggests otherwise is not true. We stand by our work.”
Scroll down to see what fans are saying about the situation.
What do you think of the controversy? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
So Blatant
Is there any recourse for this? It’s so…blatant.
โ Felipe Nascimento (@FlipNascimento) April 6, 2020
Having a Problem
@quibicares I’m having a problem and it’s understanding why your “service” chose to rip off someone else’s established IP instead of just naming it something different? Nostalgia Pit maybe? Or Mind Mound?
โ Trash Shark (@M_T_N_V) April 7, 2020
So Messed Up
Thats just so messed up the way they didnt even TRY to make it different, and just straight up took the name too.
โ Nicolas PX ๐(Commissions Open!) (@nicolas_px) April 7, 2020
Brutal
Wow, I can’t believe I almost did a @Quibi trial. I don’t want to support anyone who would do that. That’s brutal. I highly doubt it’s a coincidence. Weak move on their part. Can you take legal action? You should if you can.
โ Iskander Ben Amor (@IskanderBenAmor) April 6, 2020
Vexing
Every web series creator deserves to be enraged. People who sacrificed time and money and soul to make their shows in a new frontier only to see people stride in and say they CREATED the concept of a web series? Then rip off the content that was derided for years? It is…VEXING.
โ Scott Nap (@SuperScottNap) April 6, 2020
Pretty Dire
Doing the 80s aesthetic thing is whatever, but when you combine that with completely stealing your name that’s pretty effing dire.
โ Brady Hartel (@ashuraou) April 6, 2020
Absolutely Sucks
This absolutely sucks.
โ Adam Conover (@adamconover) April 6, 2020
Just Imagine
imagine making this embarrassing ripoff show for an embarrassing pseudo-streaming service and having THIS be your tagline pic.twitter.com/3HDmgUDJ2E
โ Mike “My Book Is Relevant Right Now” Pearl (@MikeLeePearl) April 6, 2020
Horribily Disappointed
I subscribed and watched this because I genuinely thought it was the real (2014) Memory Hole, only to be horribly disappointed.
โ Phronk (@phronk) April 6, 2020
Feel free to use this tweet in any legal disputes.
Ripoff
Wow that’s crazy. What an obvious shitty ripoff.
โ Keith Habersberger (@KeithHabs) April 6, 2020