Museum of Failure: A look at the legal battle over what could be SF's newest attraction

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The founder of a highly anticipated pop-up experience museum, set to open in San Francisco next month, says the exhibit is no longer opening. However, organizers for the U.S. exhibits of The Museum of Failure, insist the show will go on.

Samuel West, creator of the Museum of Failure, said he was blindsided by news of the exhibition's scheduled March 21 opening at Fisherman's Wharf.

"I didn't know anything. I had no plans to open. I didn't know anything. I'm totally surprised," West said via Zoom from Spain, where he currently resides.

The Museum of Failure originated in Sweden in 2017 and has since traveled worldwide, featuring more than 150 discontinued products, including Colgate Beef Lasagna and Crystal Pepsi. The exhibit has previously appeared in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

As of Tuesday morning, the museum's website, Museum-of-Failure.com, warned visitors against purchasing tickets, alleging that the "previous manager" had stolen museum items and was attempting to open the exhibit without authorization.

"I'm obviously super, super angry and disappointed, and actually the biggest feeling is helplessness," West said.

West claims that See Global Entertainment, the company managing the U.S. tour, has failed to pay him for any exhibitions in the country. SEE is the same company that brought popular the Sistine Chapel Experience to San Francisco in 2023.

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SEE's attorney, Anne Singer, denied West's allegations in a phone call Tuesday afternoon to ABC7's Dion Lim, calling them "absolutely false." She said West has been interfering with the museum's U.S. operations for years and is not entitled to any profits from the tour.

According to Singer, SEE owns the museum's trademark, all assets, and all intellectual property. The company is reportedly preparing a lawsuit against West.

West, however, said he didn't know what his next steps would be, other than filing a police report and trying to seek legal counsel.

"I'm not in a position to legally fight it," he said. West acknowledged a previous bankruptcy as well.

Despite the dispute, a different website, Museum-of-Failure.net, continues to advertise the San Francisco exhibition.

West acknowledged the irony of the situation.

"The Museum of Failure is a failure," he said. "The irony isn't lost on me, but it's shameful that it's me."