In keeping with Selection, streaming platform HBO Max has argued in a brand new lawsuit that Paramount International, through its streaming platform Paramount+, has violated a contract that gave the previous unique streaming rights to “South Park.”

“Defendants engaged in a easy and apparent artifice of mischaracterizing the content material to keep away from obligations” of the contract, the go well with says.

HBO Max is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in New York. The criticism says that HBO Max gained the unique rights to stream new episodes of “South Park” and its outdated “library” of previous episodes after an “extraordinarily aggressive” bidding course of.

However, in violation of that contract, the go well with claims, Paramount+ made a cope with the present’s creators for spinoff motion pictures and different spinoff media with MTV in an “illicit scheme.” The latter streamer additionally mentioned it paid for a sure variety of episodes and didn’t obtain them.

“South Park” airs on Comedy Central (owned by Paramount) and is likely one of the longest-running TV exhibits ever, as Bloomberg famous. It follows the adventures of a gaggle of 4 boys who run round making jokes within the eponymous Colorado small city.

HBO claims it paid “greater than half a billion {dollars}” for the rights to stream it completely.

“Exclusivity was so vital to Warner/HBO that when SPDS requested Warner/HBO whether or not it might contemplate sharing the rights to South Park with CBS All Entry or one other Paramount streamer, Warner/HBO rejected the proposition as a ‘non-starter,'” the lawsuit mentioned.

SPDS is South Park Digital Studios, a media firm that produces “South Park” in addition to has completed titles like “The E book of Mormon.”

“We consider these claims are with out advantage and look ahead to demonstrating so by means of the authorized course of,” Paramount mentioned, per Selection.