Ultimate Blackjack Tour, the creator of the eponymous gambling series set to air on CBS this fall, has filed a lawsuit against GSN in an effort to block the cable net from running its World Series of Blackjack.

In a suit filed earlier this week in the Los Angeles Superior Court, UBT alleged that GSN breached an implied contract in producing its latest incarnation of World Series of Blackjack by lifting elements of what UBT characterized as its “novel” blackjack methodology. The “elimination blackjack” format, which UBT registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, features non-traditional elements like elimination rounds and secret bets.

The UBT complaint calls for a permanent injunction barring GSN from running its show in its current format, and includes a request for monetary compensation.

UBT claims that it presented its updated blackjack format to GSN during two meetings in 2005, pitching GSN executives on a series partnership based on its original ideas. According to the complaint, GSN passed on the overture and then “misappropriated” UBT’s format for use in its own show.

After initially declining to comment on the matter, GSN issued a brief statement Friday that, in its entirety, read: “This lawsuit is completely baseless and without merit, and will be vindicated in court.”

A Manhattan-based intellectual property attorney told Mediaweek that “there’s a pretty big gulf between registering for patent protection and actually holding a patent,” adding that 97 percent of U.S. patent complaints settle without third-party mediation.

Reality series have long been the focus of intellectual property scuffles, as the very nature of the genre seems to have made instances of “format borrowing” almost inevitable. In 2002, the producers of ABC’s short-lived reality series The Chair filed suit against Fox for ripping off the gist of the show with The Chamber. Fox countersued The Chair’s producers, alleging they had sent a spy to the set of The Chamber to gather proprietary information about the show. Neither series survived a full season.

CBS has a two-season commitment to Ultimate Blackjack Tour, which goes live on CBS Sports’ Saturday afternoon block beginning Sept. 16.

Meanwhile, GSN announced it has renewed its Monday night cash poker series, High Stakes Poker, for a third season, with taping set to begin in October. Each game carries a $100,000 minimum buy-in and features pros like Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan risking their own stakes.