Elisabeth Hasselbeck: The View… from the courtroom

June 23, 11:24 PMDC Publishing Industry ExaminerWendy Coakley-Thompson

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Photo AP

Self-published author Susan Hassett is suing The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck for copyright infringement.

According to today’s Boston Herald, Hassett filed suit in U.S. District Court in Boston. In the lawsuit, Hassett claims that Hasselbeck’s The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, which the Hachette Book Group imprint Center Street published last month, contains parts of Hassett’s book, Living with Celiac Disease. Hassett had allegedly sent a copy of her book, along with a personal note, a business card, a newspaper article, and a homemade cooking video to Hasselbeck in April of last year.

Hasselbeck has fired back, asserting that The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide stems from her experience as a sufferer of celiac disease. Hasselbeck realized she had the disease after her stint as a Survivor contestant in the gluten-free wilds of the Australian Outback. The book description at Hachette Book Group’s web site says this:

In this all-inclusive book, Hasselbeck shares her hard-earned wisdom on living life without gluten and loving it. She gives you everything you need to know to start living a gluten-free life, from defining gluten - where to find it, how to read food labels - to targeting gluten-free products, creating G-Free shopping lists, sharing recipes, and managing G-Free living with family and friends."

Concerning Hassett’s lawsuit, Hachette Book Group maintains that neither Center Street nor Hasselbeck has been served. Here’s an excerpt from the statement that Hachette Book Group released today:

…there is no basis for the allegations in the complaint as published in the press. Ms. Hasselbeck worked diligently and tirelessly on her book and is disappointed in this attempt to discredit her work and her ability to bring this important message to the public.”

Anyone looking for a hint as to how this fight will play out, many famous fairly recent copyright infringement cases offer no roadmap, as they are still pending. Specifically related to this case, the world is still waiting for the outcome of the copyright infringement lawsuit concerning Jessica Seinfeld and Missy Chase Lapine. If you recall, Lapine sued Seinfeld, alleging that Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious is a knockoff of her book The Sneaky Chef.

As for this case, Hassett and her attorney have fallen back on the old standby – No comment.