A heated competition's brewing over Nickelodeon's iconic game show Double Dare, but Viacom -- which owns the popular game show -- isn't playing around ... and filed a lawsuit to prove it.
Update (8/21/19): A New York federal judge is refusing to let Viacom pursue preemptive litigation against a man who claims to now own the trademark rights to the classic Nickelodeon game show “Double Dare,” saying the case is “plainly premature.” The media giant filed the case against Charles Armstrong last year after he threatened trademark litigation over a planned reboot of "Double Dare," but Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled Monday that the dispute was “too speculative and too remote” to be decided in court. The problem? It’s unclear if Armstrong has any actual trademark rights to enforce, the judge said — or if he’ll ever get them.
According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, a man named Charles Armstrong -- President and CEO of Armstrong Interactive -- filed trademark paperwork in January for Double Dare, months before Nickelodeon aired the reboot of the show on June 25.
Viacom admits in the docs it let its trademarks for Double Dare expire in 2001 and 2002, but claims it has continuously used the name since the show's debut in 1986 for TV programming, live events and merchandise, therefore, it never lost the rights to the name.
The company also claims Armstrong has a slimy history of squatting on classic kids' TV titles in an "illegal scheme" to "exploit the goodwill of other popular shows" ... including Wonderama, Kids Are People Too and Romper Room.
Regardless, Armstrong allegedly fired off a cease and desist letter to Viacom in May, warning the media company that if it went ahead with its relaunch of Double Dare, it would be doing so "at its own risk" of legal action.
Viacom risked it and, along with airing the reboot, is now suing Armstrong to get a judge to declare that Double Dare belongs -- and always has -- to Nickelodeon.
TMZ has reached out to Armstrong for comment, however, he has yet to respond.
Double Dare is back, bigger and slimier than ever before! Fans can catch brand-new episodes of Double Dare, weekdays at 8:00pm ET/PT, only on Nickelodeon USA!
Hosted by digital creator and actress Liza Koshy, Nickelodeon's Double Dare revival sees a new generation of fans compete in the messiest and most physically challenging competition of their lives. Bringing together new fans and the iconic game show’s millennial audience from the ‘90s, original series host Marc Summers returns to give color commentary on the challenges, lending his vast knowledge of the game and expertise to each episode.
Series guests include Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Lori Beth Denberg, Jamie Lynn Spears, Josh Server, Rico Rodriguez, Chloe Kim and Lindsey Vonn.
Nickelodeon’s new Double Dare will also spill off of the screen and into the real world this summer, connecting to fans both old and new in a series of forthcoming location-based live experiences. There will be opportunities for fans to play Double Dare in a on-the-ground version all summer long at Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America in Minneapolis.
More Nick: 'Double Dare Live' Announces Fall/Winter 2019 Tour Dates!
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