How did Slumdog Millionaire clear those rights?

If you’ve never watched Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? before you go see Slumdog Millionaire, then you’d be intimately familiar with it by the music video infused end credits. It’s the thread that ties the whole film together, and it few people who see the movie will be able to watch any game show any time soon and not think back to Jamal and Latika.

The use of a real TV show down to most details enhanced Slumdog Millionaire, but as the movie progressed, I began to wonder how the film’s producers managed to clear the rights for the TV show. Especially with all the hanky panky involved — err, spoiler?

But really, wouldn’t you usually expect the game show to be an obvious knock-off? And I wonder how the licensing process compares to how sports films get permission to use names like the Mighty Ducks or the Cleveland Indians.