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The matter of just who was first to come up with the visionary concept behind Fox's reality competition So You Think You Can Dance?—a paradigm-redefining twist on the American Idol format in which contestants dance before a panel of judges instead of sing—is now thrown into question with news of a lawsuit brought against the show's producers:

Fox Broadcasting Co., Dick Clark Productions, Martin Erlichman Associates and 19 Entertainment were sued Wednesday for breach of contract in Los Angeles Superior Court [...]

The plaintiffs — John Cassese, a professional entertainer known as The Dance Docter, Maria Lamagra, a former vp of Universal Home Video, and writers Mark Wolfe and Brian Nelson — claim they registered their idea for the "American Idol"-type show, including the title, with the Writers Guild of America in 2003.

This is hardly the first lawsuit of its kind, though precedent suggests the plaintiffs rarely win these cases. In a reality TV climate that often sees multiple takes on the same concept airing simultaneously, it's nearly impossible to prove a breach of contract merely because you had a game show epiphany mid-plié in the shower one morning, then rushed off to register a detailed synopsis for So You Think You're America's Next Top Dancing Idol? with the WGA.