Hulavision sues NBC Universal, Hulu stuck in the middle with gloom
By Ross Miller 
posted March 24th 2010 10:47PM
posted March 24th 2010 10:47PM
Ask Hulavision founder Errol Hula, and he'll tell you Hulu is a stolen idea, from concept to even the similarities in name. He's so confident, in fact, that he and his company have filed a lawsuit against NBC Universal, claiming a series of meetings (all under the umbrella of a nondisclosure agreement) with the media conglomerate and business development exec Raymond Vergel de Dios laid the foundation for its eventual web portal. The suit runs the gamut of brokenhearted business fellows: misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract (both implied and the NDA), breach of a confidential relationship, unfair competition, unjust enrichment, and stolen ice cream on the playground. The suit seeks unspecified damages. Given the nature of these things, we doubt the two will ever get the point of actual courtroom entanglement, but if it does... can we get it streamed?
I used to like Hulu but all the advertisements were a turn off for me. I have been using netflix for the past 2 years and i love it! Hulu needs to revamp their business model and make sure it can spread every where. Saturate the market!
@Mike Vick
Really? During the commercial break there is like one commercial. On a free service. Netflix (which I use and love) you have to pay for.
@Mike Vick I love Hulu. i can deal with the rare 30 second commercial break for a free service. Supernews FTW.
@Dafrety Gotta agree with not paying for netflix... Movies are one thing... but Im not paying EXTRA for a TV show when Im already paying comcast for it... The ads in HUlu don't really bother me either...
@Mike Vick
I'm sorry but Netflix is paid service, Hulu is free. Not to mention that there is just a single ad per break, compared to regular TV programing that is a major improvement.
@ComboBreaker
Well you're the sucker paying Comcast! I have no Cable, Satellite, U-Verse, etc and have no problem watching Netflix on my TV. It's a hell of a lot cheaper. On top of that, combining it with Boxee/Hulu/whatever I watch most of the same shows on cable. The ONLY things I don't get are ESPN & NFL, but I hear that's changing soon too.
This article was up then disappeared and now it's back?
@Itami No idea. I thought the same thing. Maybe we just have psychic abilities?!
I'll be unveiling iphonavision next year.
@Waltah Sweet I can see it now only 10 cents a minute or a subscription fee of... Wait 25 cents a minute and no subscriptions Muah ha ha ha ha
"... can we get it streamed?"
Not on the iPad.
@echoelman
And you'll have to wait 24 hours.
yeah, either that or the first four letters of his last name sound like "hulu" and he's milking it...
that is, unless i can see some proof...
@spasewalkr
I'm just kind of assuming he has some kind of compelling evidence or he wouldn't be wasting money filing a lawsuit... If he has signed NDAs and any other documents from the same time frame from him to them with any of these concepts, he's got a strong case, I'd think. But, I'm no lawyer.
Why did he decide to sue them 2 whole years later? I'm also thinking that if a huge media corporation (a group of them no less) were to steal an idea from someone they wouldn't name it after them, they would name it something stupid like xfinity or something.
@RatioTitle Well it does take a long time to put together a good case, even longer to enter the legal system. In the US at least, most larger cases can take up to two years to put to trial.
@superstar Well it takes a long time but would it mean that this case actual has some merit in order to get this far? To blatantly rip him off like that "seems" like it should be simple to figure out. Law, unfortunately, does not equal common sense. Another one we'll just have to wait and see.
@RatioTitle
You have to gather evidence and collect as many as you want. If you want to take on a multi-billion dollar company you have to make sure you have the right lawyer and do alot of digging. i.e. email exchange, anything revelent to the case.
maybe if NBC stopped fuckin with peoples ice cream they can stay out of the court room
C'mon, Ross, you could've done a better job on the A and the question mark. Which isn't to say I could have...
Has anyone tried searching for anything about Hulavision? After trying to get past all of the Hula suing Hulu links, I have not found anything. I did however find the founder's linkedin.
is it a trend now or what that suing is a hobby ?..... im just tired of hearing i sue you and you sue me and him sue her and the et cetra..
i guess it's just me.........
yes i know the idea behind all the suing but just recently sOO much suing going on. oh well
(wait .....i think i remember there's a case that someone suing against mother nature in the State?)
@DrewVL yes suing seems like a new trend and also because blackmail is sooo 20th century.
This is utter bullshit. First of all, NBBC existed before Hulu as a portal to online content for NBC, around 2006. Hulu was a natural progression of the idea. Hulu, if you recall, was derided as ClownCo. for the year or so it was in development and was no secret, so this guy is pretty late to the party with his lawsuit.
The name "Hulu" came from branding by an ad firm hired by the as-yet-unnnamed Hulu company, not NBC nor Fox. Nobody at NBC had anything to do with the name.
@VIRGINA
Quote:
"Hulavision and principal Errol Hula claim that the company developed technology to deliver television programs directly to viewers online. Hula then met with NBCU business development exec Raymond Vergel de Dios at a Las Vegas trade show and was invited to have further discussions about working together. In the spring of 2006, Hula and NBCU allegedly signed a nondisclosure agreement, after which Hula revealed his company’s business model, marketing strategy, product roadmap and a “shared revenue model chart” that included valuable trade secrets."
@zerotwone
So? NBC already had "technology to deliver content on line" via NBBC. The business model of Hulu was nothing new, either. The only unique aspect was the companies involved. I think this lawsuit is b.s. I'd love to see that NDA.
@VIRGINA
I bet this never hits a courtroom and NBC pays him off. It would look too bad for NBC and Hulu if they were found guilty – it's easier to pay him off and let it die. Not to mention that no one in their right mind would attempt to sue a giant like NBC claiming they signed an NDA and stole your idea unless there was real proof. The cost to lawyer up and sue a company that large requires too much green.
Great copy Ross, covered the facts, and funny.