Cable news hosts reusing show names after moves

Factual Questions
1

It might not be possible for anyone who isn’t an insider to answer this, but just in case, does anyone know what the deal is with cable news hosts moving networks and keeping their show names?

Example: Keith Olbermann reused the “Countdown…” name after moving from MSNBC to Current TV, and Lou Dobb’s new show on Fox Business News is the same as his old one on CNN.

Do these guys own their own production companies that retain the rights to their show names? Did they buy the rights from their old networks? Or are the names not legally protected to begin with? Anyone know?

2

When Letterman moved to CBS, he wanted to name the show Late Night but NBC refused, so in that case, the network did own the name. And when the ABC series Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell was canceled, they agreed to let NBC’s Saturday Night pick up the name.

*Lou Dobbs Tonight *may be too generic a name to protect. So in the case of Countdown I suspect MSNBC didn’t want to reuse the name, so Olbermann was able to negotiate for it in his separation agreement.

3

This should probably be moved to Cafe Society…