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Oprah's Network Sued for Allegedly Ripping Off the Idea for 'Love Is'

Home / The Law / Oprah's Network Sued for Allegedly Ripping Off the Idea for 'Love Is'

By TheBlast Staff on October 22, 2018 at 10:25 PM EDT

Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network is being accused of stealing an actress’ work and passing it off as their own, and now the woman has filed a lawsuit demanding the mogul be ordered to pay up.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Amber Brenner has filed a federal lawsuit against Oprah’s OWN network, along with Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, the screenwriting and producing couple, over the show "Love Is."

The show premiered on OWN back in June and has already been renewed for a second season. The show was created and produced by Mara and Salim, and is said to be based on their real-life relationship over the years in Hollywood.

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Brenner claims she wrote a screenplay entitled, "Luv & Perversity in the East Village" ("LPEV"), which was a work of fiction that was "about loving a person who is detrimental to her own life and takes the readers on a journey that explores love in the context of such an abusive relationship."

According to the lawsuit, "LPEV’s" female protagonist is a young, attractive, black entertainment professional who falls in love with a dominant and aggressive male who turns her life upside down.

Brenner claims she gave Salim a copy of her work in 2016, which she says he received and she claims he emailed her saying he enjoyed it.

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The woman claims that Salim and Mara then used her idea and turned it into a show they pitched around town. It eventually ended up at OWN Network as "Love Is," which Brenner claims is a rip-off of her work.

Brenner is suing OWN, Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil demanding an injunction against them from continuing to profit off her work and unspecified damages.

The Blast reached out to reps for OWN and Mara Brock Akil — who has also created shows like "Girlfriends," "The Game," and "Being Mary Jane" — but so far, no word back.

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