The U.K. creators of the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" franchise have sued the Walt Disney Co. for allegedly licensing the hit television series to ABC at below-market prices and inflating production costs so there would be no profits to share with the creators. Series developer Celador International Ltd., company chairman Paul Smith and affiliated music production company Lusam Music Ltd. want unspecified monetary damages and an injunction barring defendants Disney or any of its affiliates from licensing the show without getting competitive bids on the open market. "In essence, Disney sits on both sides of the bargaining table in any negotiation for the production and distribution rights to the series, thereby enabling it to manipulate negotiations in any way that serves its corporate interests," according to the complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

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