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Quibi’s ‘Memory Hole’ Accused of Plagiarizing Content From Boutique Art Collective

The “Memory Hole” creator declined to discuss the similarity between the show’s graphics and the art of Everything Is Terrible!
"Memory Hole"
"Memory Hole"
Quibi

Memory Hole,” a show on the new streaming service Quibi, has been accused of plagiarizing art and its title from art collective Everything Is Terrible!

Everything Is Terrible! cited the similarities in a tweet on Monday, the day of Quibi’s launch, and accused “Memory Hole” creator Scott Vrooman of ripping off one of the art collective’s work.

The art collective, founded in 2007, launched its own “Memory Hole” show in 2014, which compiles a variety of obscure VHS clips into mishmashes of psychedelic horror. Quibi’s new show, hosted by comedian Will Arnett, has more of a light and inviting tone, but also primarily consists of remixed VHS footage.

Everything Is Terrible! co-founder Dimitri Simakis told IndieWire that the logo allegedly plagiarized by the Quibi show was created by the art collective over a decade ago.

“This is a multi-billion dollar company, and what do we have,” Simakis said. “We have so little to fight back with.”

Vrooman referred to a Twitter statement by Shout! Factory, the company behind the Quibi show:

“Memory Hole” is an original show,” the company said on Twitter. “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.”

Vrooman declined to discuss the similarity between the show’s graphics and the art of Everything Is Terrible! A Quibi spokesperson did not return a request for comment.

Simakis noted that he first heard about Vrooman’s show last year and considered it an unlikely coincidence that the project would boast a similar name and concept to the Everything Is Terrible! show. He said that once he saw the Quibi show’s logo, the similarities became impossible to ignore.

“A found footage clip show is not what we’re upset about,” Simakis said. “It’s the aesthetic, name, and format. It’s impossible to not compare.” Simakis added that he was interested in speaking to a litigator to resolve the situation.

Quibi’s “Memory Hole” is one of dozens of series that launched on the new streaming service Monday. IndieWire praised the Arnett-hosted show as one of Quibi’s standout projects.

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