Morgan Spurlock's Product Placement Doc Refutes Plagiarism Charges

In the thick of promoting his new documentary "docbuster" on product placement, Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, director Morgan Spurlock has denied charges that one of the promotional gags he's using is plagiarized.

Conceptual artists The Art Guys, who once did an art project featuring corporate logos on a suit, said that there is no way this is just a coincidence and there is "no doubt that Spurlock has plagiarized our idea" and added that it's "beyond belief."

Spurlock responded by calling the charges "preposterous" and that it's no surprise "we both had an idea to mimic what’s been happening in stock racing for the last 40 years."

Could Spurlock not have researched key elements of his film before filming? Evidently so. We spoke with TIME writer Joel Slein, the originator of the other concept Spurlock could be accused of plagiarizing — namely, the entire premise for the film, right down to the Pom Wonderful sponsorship.Continue reading...