FOX’s ‘Glee’ loses copyright infringement battle

Every week, people around the world watched a bunch of a teenagers at William McKinley High School practice for their glee club, a competitive choir.

Now, millions of fans in the United Kingdom may not have the privilege because 20th Century FOX lost an intellectual property battle against Comic Enterprises, a company that owns the Glee Club venues in Oxford, Cardiff, Nottingham and Birmingham, the Telegraph reported.

"When Glee was first broadcast on national TV in the U.K. in early 2010, we knew that we had a problem," Comic Enterprises owner Mark Tughan told the source. "As a small independent company we had no way of competing against the advertising and marketing might of the Fox Corporation and knew that our brand and reputation for original and credible comedy and live music would be damaged."

Tughan filed a trademark for the Glee Club in 1999, which is about 10 years before the first season of "Glee" began, BBC explained. While FOX may not agree that fans of the television show would be confused with Comic Enterprises's venues, Deputy High Court Judge Roger Wyand disagreed.

"20th Century Fox's use causes dilution and tarnishing," he said during the hearing. "Continued use in such circumstances cannot be in accordance with honest practices in industrial or commercial matters."

Now the question is, what happens to "Glee"? A spokesman explained to the news source that U.K. fans may no longer be able to download music from the show, purchase merchandise or watch episodes on their television screen. For the time being, FOX added that they plan on appealing the Deputy High Court's decision.

Startups and other emerging businesses can also benefit from the support of a legal system that respects trademarks and copyright protections. If there is a situation where any facets of intellectual property seems violated, a Phoenix business attorney can be there to help the case.

Categorised in: International Business Law

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