Fox & ‘American Idol’ Creator Resolve ‘X-Factor’ Lawsuit

The legal battle between American Idol creator Simon Fuller and Fox over The X-Factor is over. Sources confirm to Deadline that the two sides have reached a confidential settlement and are moving to have the case dismissed with prejudice. Fuller filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the network and the production company Freemantle Media over The X-Factor just before it was set to debut in America. The July 20, 2011 complaint claimed that Fox and Fremantle went back on a 2005 promise to put in writing that Fuller would receive an executive producer credit and a hefty fee on any American version of X Factor. At that time Fuller was suing X-Factor creator and now former American Idol judge Simon Cowell in the U.K. for copyright infringement and breach of contract over what the Idol creator calls “striking similarities” between the Pop Idol and X Factor formats. The 2005 agreement was intended to make peace between the two Brits as Idol started to explode Stateside The peace held six years until Cowell moved to bring X-Factor to America and left his successful run on Idol. The same day that Fuller filed his complaint in LA Superior Court, the network and the production company issued a statement calling it “without merit.” The parties have been entangled in a legal back and forth ever since as The X-Factor debuted on Fox and American Idol continued its run on the network. Now everyone can co-exist in peace once again. Scott Edelman, who has handled CBS’ Glass House case against ABC and former Big Brother producers, of LA firm Gibson Dunn, represented Fox. Dale Kinsella and David Swift at Kinsella Weitzman represented Simon Fuller.

Related: Demi Lovato To Return As ‘X-Factor’ Judge For Season 3