 The worldwide reality television show "Big Brother" is based on the novel's concept of people being under constant surveillance.In 2000, after the United States version of the CBS program "Big Brother" premiered, the Estate of George Orwell sued CBS and its production company Orwell Productions, Inc. in federal court in Chicago for copyright and trademark infringement.The case was "Estate of Orwell v. CBS", 00-c-5034 (ND Ill).