War of the Simons: Fuller Lawyer Says Cowell 'Does Not Understand' 'X Factor' Lawsuit

2:22 AM PDT 8/25/2011 by Matthew Belloni

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"American Idol" creator Simon Fuller's attorney is responding to criticism by Simon Cowell of Fuller's lawsuit over the U.S. version of "The X Factor."

2004: Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller Settle

Menternational/Redferns/Getty Images

American Idol creator Simon Fuller's attorney is responding to criticism by Simon Cowell of Fuller's lawsuit over the U.S. version of The X Factor.

In an interview with THR published on Wednesday, Cowell, who appeared as a judge on Idol for nine seasons before quitting to launch X Factor in the U.S, said Fuller has no right to demand an executive producer credit and fee on the Cowell-produced singing competition, set to launch in September.

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“It’s like me saying I want to be executive producer on The Voice or Project Runway,” Cowell said.

But Dale Kinsella, Fuller's lead lawyer in the multi-million dollar lawsuit against Fox and producer Fremantle, believes Cowell should keep his legal opinions to himself.

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“Mr. Cowell would be better served reading scripts than legal pleadings and documents he clearly does not understand,” Kinsella tells us.

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Of course, the feud between the two Simons goes back years. Fuller sued Cowell shortly after X Factor first appeared on British television in 2004, leading to the settlement that Fuller now claims granted him the right to a rich fee and credit on the U.S. X Factor.

Email: Matthew.Belloni@thr.com