Inmate Sues Taco Bell: Lawsuit Claims Taco Bell Stole Doritos Taco Idea
An inmate is suing Taco Bell, claiming that the restaurant stole his idea of making a hard shell taco out of a Doritos chip.
Inmate Gary Cole, who is currently at a maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado, has filed a lawsuit against Taco Bell, Pepsi, Frito Lay, and Taco Bell's parent company Yum Brands, for stealing the Doritos Locos idea, according to the Dallas Observer.
Cole claims that he mailed a notarized document to his attorney in 2006 that contained nine product ideas – one of which was the concept for a taco made out of a Dorito chip.
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The lawsuit claims that Taco Bell intercepted the mail, or bribed someone to obtain a copy of the document, and once it had allegedly done so it rolled out the Dorito taco idea, making millions.
It is claimed by Cole in a letter to the IRS, that Taco Bell wrote a check to an unidentified person for "an idea or invention that was submitted to them by theft and fraud."
Cole is demanding that the IRS identify the person who stole his idea, and give details on how much they sold it for and how much they paid in taxes in the sale. Cole hopes to use the Freedom of Information Act to demand Taco Bell release any information it holds regarding the invention of the Dorito taco.
It has been reported that Cole is planning to represent himself in the proceedings, and that Taco Bell has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
