Budweiser rips us off!
by Trevor on Feb.04, 2007, under Uncategorized
Hey! Budweiser just ran an ad during the SuperBowl that is a rip off of our “New Thing” sketch. This has happened to us a couple times before but this one is pretty blatant.
So suck it Budweiser.
Drink Coors.
57 comments for this entry:
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Whitest Kids U’Know
The Comedy Troupe in New York City
February 4th, 2007 on 8:28 pm
AHHH! I saw it too and immediately thought of your sketch! Bastards!
February 4th, 2007 on 9:05 pm
you should contact big blog sites such as digg.com and boingboing.net to get this out to people.
something needs to be done.
February 4th, 2007 on 9:39 pm
Yeah, I thought the same exact thing when I saw that. It’s cool though, just think, your shit is funny enough for a worldwide superbowl broadcast.
When you playing NYC again!
February 4th, 2007 on 9:44 pm
Send them an angry letter. And then get some public support.
February 4th, 2007 on 9:54 pm
Crazy, I couldn’t believe that. I submitted the story to digg… do a search for budweiser
February 4th, 2007 on 10:25 pm
Sue the bastards! Budweiser sucks anyways.
February 5th, 2007 on 12:21 am
were you guys approached by budweiser for the skit before this happened?
February 5th, 2007 on 2:02 am
No we absolutely were not.
February 5th, 2007 on 2:33 am
I’m pretty furious about it…
legal action is required. right? something… infringement maybe?
February 5th, 2007 on 11:04 am
I have never seen such a blatent rip off, I saw the commercial and got excited cause I was assuming you guys got a huge paycheck for it. Please don’t let budweiser get away with this.
February 5th, 2007 on 11:39 am
Outragous! THe add agency or Budwiser will compensate u I imagine.
February 5th, 2007 on 12:15 pm
Hey Sam,
John sent out an e-mail to a bunch of people about this but you guys need to contact Fuse’s legal department to see how to go about putting a cease order on this ad. Fuse should be the lead here since I am sure it is one of their shows now.
Just my two cents.
Uncle Tim
February 5th, 2007 on 2:47 pm
Wow that’s terribly blatent. I remember seeing your original a couple years ago, and just watched them both commercials side by side on CH. You should definitely get a lawyer to help you put that complaint in legalise smackdown format and send it over to them certified mail style. If they can afford millions for those tv spots, they can afford to pay you for your ideas.
February 5th, 2007 on 9:07 pm
I wouldn’t act so self-righteous about it. You’re “Drunk Dad” seems awfully similar to this Kids in the Hall Sketch (”Daddy Drank”): http://youtube.com/watch?v=BCZuC18GquI . And “Scaring Babies” is lifted directly from a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.
February 5th, 2007 on 9:33 pm
I don’t think the post I made is “self-righteous”. And in regards to the “Drunk Dad” sketch, a couple months ago, someone pointed it out on here that it was similar to the Kids in the Hall sketch, so we watched it, agreed and decided not to put it in the television show. I’ve never heard the Calvin and Hobbes comparison before.
But there’s more to the Budweiser story than just random coincidence, which we’ll probably post about in the next day or so.
February 6th, 2007 on 9:48 am
Hey All-
Here’s something that everyone can do: go to Bud’s website and click on “Rate our ads”. There’s a survey there where you can comment. I work on the dark side–in advertising–and I know for sure that EVERY comment is read by very senior level people. So go and put your comments in ASAP. They will be read. Remember–do be crass or angry–simply state the fact and it will be taken seriously.
Sam’s Aunt Jen
February 6th, 2007 on 10:39 am
That is some BS but please I’d like to encourage people to drink perhaps Miller Lite as a Bud alternative and not Coors on account of their republicanness.
February 6th, 2007 on 10:59 am
You should do a sketch of Hitler drinking a budweiser.
February 6th, 2007 on 11:00 am
You should do a sketch of Hitler drinking a budweiser.
February 6th, 2007 on 3:13 pm
Don’t worry. Your sketch is way better…
Love,
BrandDame
http://www.branddame.com
February 6th, 2007 on 4:03 pm
Relax! my friends and I have been doing something called ’slap club’ for years (way before your skit). I’m not saying they didn’t see your skit but seriously though, it’s not that original to begin with. I’m sick of people whining everytime something like this happens. Don’t do the, unfortunately, american thing and waste your time complaining or “seeing what kind of legal action to take” but rather put your energy into the thing you love and think of new material.
cheers,
j
February 6th, 2007 on 5:04 pm
Also, bud sucks because they used primates in one of their other ads.
Not cool.
Drink Coors!
February 6th, 2007 on 7:59 pm
My friends and I have been slapping each other for years.
You guys must have ripped me off, and then Budweiser ripped you off and……I need a beer. Let’s face it there is not such thing as an original idea.
February 6th, 2007 on 8:01 pm
My friends and I have been slapping each other for years.
You guys must have ripped me off, and then Budweiser ripped you off and……I need a beer. Let’s face it there is not such thing as an original idea.
February 6th, 2007 on 9:35 pm
Sue Budweiser.Make millions.Replace Saturday Night Live.Take over the world. Email me,I’ll command the attack force!
February 6th, 2007 on 9:36 pm
Sue Budweiser.Make millions.Replace Saturday Night Live.Take over the world. Email me,I’ll command the attack force!
February 7th, 2007 on 1:37 am
Well, good luck mates. Make noise if thats how you want to spend your time. I hate Budweiser/love your sketch as much as anyone, But I wouldnt call it blatant. Slapping people IS funny. Its very conceivably a coincidence. And I think thats what a judge would say. One is a coincidence. What was the other possible rip-off Casey was telling me about?
February 7th, 2007 on 4:57 am
You ripped my mother off. She used to slap me years & years ago. I dont know why or how you can sue Budweiser as someone else posted. They had to pay for the ad. They didnt make money off it. Bud wouldnt have to make an ad for years & they would still make money. Move on & get over it.
February 7th, 2007 on 11:11 am
I don’t think you can just “move on” about this. Like Trevor posted earlier, it is more than just random coincidence. And besides, this is intellectual property we’re talking about here. Why do you think people started charging to download a song? Because it was created by someone else. Creative people want to get paid, or at least get the recognition they deserve. There are huge similarities in the sketch and the ad, and the Whitest Kids obviously feel like they were done wrong. Just let them look into this more and see what comes up. And until then, don’t drink anything made by Anheuser-Busch, the boycott starts now.
February 7th, 2007 on 12:00 pm
For my part I’d like to chime in and say that yes, the idea of a slapping scenario has been done to death in comedy. I would never suggest that we were the first ones to do a bit where people get slapped a lot and thats funny. The problem with this ad (as others have stated previously) is that the slapping is done as a new form of social interaction. It’s a substitute for a greeting. Not only that but the timing/characters/camera angle are all very very similar. If you watch the first 7 seconds of both bits it’s nearly identical. That is the problem. That is a big problem.
February 7th, 2007 on 1:46 pm
I, personally, saw the commerical before I saw your skit and have to admitt yours was better even after the millions they spent. Anyway, even if you don’t sue you still get some free advertising out of this, you got me =).
February 7th, 2007 on 3:41 pm
good press indeed. The story made the local news where i live in Richmond VA. hopefully, at the very least the whitest kid’s name will continue to get spread around.
February 7th, 2007 on 5:46 pm
Wow, I love the stupidity by people on this website. You don’t deserve anything. Your comedy “video” wasn’t similar at all except for the fact that people were slapping each other. Way to go “White Kids” you are trying to claim property over the physical act of slapping. Maybe you should contact every advertisement agency which has ever used slapping in their ads and try to squeeze money out of them!
This is a fine example of what is wrong with society. People trying to sue big business just because they know they can get money out of them.
You’re pathetic as is your “comedy”.
February 7th, 2007 on 5:59 pm
It’s too bad that Ryan didn’t read my earlier post. That’s not what we’re saying at all.
February 7th, 2007 on 7:03 pm
Hey, here’s an original thought I just came up with all by myself (and I’m not just spewing Republican, right-wing propaganda):
“This is a fine example of what is wrong with society. People trying to sue big business just because they know they can get money out of them.”
This story seems to be attracting all of your greatest “fans”!
Far from frivolous, I think you’ve got a great case here Whitest Kids. You deserve credit and $ where credit and $ are due. Intellectual Property rights aren’t just for large corporations (though they may have the lawyers to claim otherwise). This could be a landmark case for the YouTube age (though this case was apparently even more blatant than internet theft.)
February 7th, 2007 on 9:28 pm
dude you guys need to stop bitching, budwiser has more money then you, and you wont get a dime of it.
February 7th, 2007 on 11:13 pm
I GOT SO PISSED WHEN I SAW IT!
February 8th, 2007 on 2:43 am
We won’t get a dime. That’s not even in question.
February 8th, 2007 on 1:39 pm
So blatantly blatant.
February 9th, 2007 on 8:15 am
Budweiser is garbage anyway. I’m a miller guy myself. Its made right here in good ole milwaukee WI. I don’t think you guys would win a legal battle. Not saying that budweiser is in the right but a legal battle right now would be unwinable I say if your going that route the media is the absolute best way to get your story told. Write a letter to a popular news cast so it can be national news and not just local…. or maybe you should start out local I dunno just an idea. The concept was simular but the whole point of the thing was a little bit differant Still budweiser can suck the big one.
February 9th, 2007 on 11:28 am
……sorry to burst your bubbles bubs….realisticly typing now….you all are not the first to do such slap stick comedy….
such humor has been around b4 ya’ll were a glimor in your grandpas eye- get over yoursevles-
it’s funny…no wrong ideas here…however…you are not BY ANY MEANS- the first.
February 9th, 2007 on 11:30 am
……sorry to burst your bubbles bubs….realisticly typing now….you all are not the first to do such slap stick comedy….
such humor has been around b4 ya’ll were a glimor in your grandpas eye- get over yoursevles-
it’s funny…no wrong ideas here…however…you are not BY ANY MEANS- the first
February 9th, 2007 on 11:30 am
……sorry to burst your bubbles bubs….realisticly typing now….you all are not the first to do such slap stick comedy….
such humor has been around b4 ya’ll were a glimor in your grandpas eye- get over yoursevles-
it’s funny…no wrong ideas here…however…you are not BY ANY MEANS- the first
February 9th, 2007 on 2:14 pm
Hey! We made this for you guys:
The New Bud Light Thing
Enjoy!
–Better Than The Machine.
February 9th, 2007 on 6:42 pm
Haha awesome!
February 10th, 2007 on 12:35 am
OH MY GOD THAT IS FUCKING AWESOME!
February 10th, 2007 on 2:04 pm
Just sent a message to the Bud people about them ripping you guys off. That’s pretty lame. They should pay you. I read about it on Chicagoist.com
February 12th, 2007 on 12:12 pm
Well done Alex! Congratulations.
February 14th, 2007 on 2:35 am
Hey, I put together a short video to try to help tell your story. Let me know if I have any of the facts wrong (Other than omitting “The” from your group name–sorry about that)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptyORGHV4M
February 16th, 2007 on 12:26 am
I agree with most on this issue of stealing another’s ideas. I did NOT see thewhitestkid’s work first; after I did, I found it more original/hilarious than Bud Weiser’s commericial. A shame they didn’t give you guys any credit at all for your “style”.
March 15th, 2007 on 9:36 pm
Buttgeiser sucks anyways… but so does Miller. Try a good Canadian beer (Molson, Sleeman’s, etc). Once you go Canuck you’ll never go…. ummm…. you get the point.
March 15th, 2007 on 9:37 pm
Buttgeiser sucks anyways… but so does Miller. Try a good Canadian beer (Molson, Sleeman’s, etc). Once you go Canuck you’ll never go…. ummm…. you get the point.
April 9th, 2007 on 8:56 am
you all eat babies…sorry!!!! I think you all need to kick them in the FACE!
May 24th, 2007 on 1:44 am
ohh god do i hate niggers.
June 22nd, 2007 on 5:56 pm
oh, really? maybe you guys shouldn’t have ripped off the KITH “Drunk Dad” sketch. karma’s a bitch.
July 11th, 2008 on 12:05 pm
“And in regards to the ‚ÄúDrunk Dad‚Äù sketch, a couple months ago, someone pointed it out on here that it was similar to the Kids in the Hall sketch, so we watched it, agreed and decided not to put it in the television show.”
Drunk Dad – Season 2, Episode 7.
I’m a big fan, but you should really stick to your convictions…
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