Get the new FRAPA Report 2011 here!7 October 2011

FRAPA REPORT 2011 unveiled: International television programmes are being protected under law, new study confirms

Hit international TV formats such as ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ are being protected by the laws of copyright, unfair competition, passing off and breach of confidence, according to the latest FRAPA report, launched today at a MIPCOM press conference in Cannes hosted by David Lyle, CEO of National Geographic Channels, and FRAPA chairman, Ute Biernat, CEO of GRUNDY Light Entertainment.

The FRAPA Report 2011: Protecting Format Rights, prepared by international media and telecommunications law firm Olswang LLP (in association with Dr. Sukhpreet Singh)  and supported by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, looks at 14 TV territories including: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India, the UK and the US. Its aim is to provide a practical, user-friendly guide to the legal options available to TV format creators, maximising their chances of winning legal proceedings should their programmes become the subject of a dispute.

The report also examined over 40 reported judgments from around the world, covering copyright, unfair competition, breach of confidence and trade mark disputes. In most of these cases, format creators successfully enforced their rights by relying on a suite of different laws that protected their programmes as valuable business assets.

Lyle said: “A hit international TV programme may be a licence to print money, but a valuable format is also a vulnerable one and needs all the protection on offer. We believe this latest FRAPA report will help the industry to protect the kernel of its business — the spark of creativity that lies at the heart of all great shows.”

Olswang found that the legal inconsistencies between territories and jurisdictions often resulted in a format being protected in one country but not in another. While format imitators may be free to copy in one jurisdiction, they will struggle to distribute their copycat formats in others, thus significantly reducing the value of an imitation on the global market.

FRAPA Report author and Senior Associate at Olswang, Priya Nagpal said: “Olswang has been working with some of Europe’s most formidable TV brands and programme creators for decades, so we inherently understand the creative and business challenges faced by the industry. We’ve seen an evolution among format creators – they have become more sophisticated at restraining copycats by looking beyond copyright and instead using a variety of legal rights to protect their successful TV programmes. The report illustrates that this is a winning strategy and one that will continue to protect the value of these formats.”

The report positively revealed that format creators are enjoying increasing success in cases of unfair competition, unfair business practices and breach of confidence. Big Brother creator Endemol, has had some success in the Netherlands and Brazil with its hit show, and there have been several successful copyright claims in Belgium, Canada and Spain. However, copyright infringement claims continue to be challenging, particularly in Germany, where a Supreme Court decision has created an unsympathetic environment for format disputes.

For more information or to set up an interview please contact:

Media & Communications Manager

Lily Cabianca
020 7067 3009
lily.cabianca@olswang.com

Media & Communications Officer
Esther Harrison
020 7067 3046
esther.harrison@olswang.com

FRAPA
Press Officer
+49 221 99 55 11 06
lenzen@frapa.org

Notes to editors

FRAPA — the Format Recognition and Protection Association — is an international body dedicated to the protection of formats. Established in 2000 by a group of key industry professionals, FRAPA now represents numerous companies from within the television and broadcast industry. Its members include format creators, producers, distributors and broadcasters.

An independent, non-profit association, FRAPA’s services include registering format proposals; mediating disputes arising out of claims of format plagiarism; creating guidelines for fair competition; and educating the industry and the law regarding the protection of formats.

The report is priced at €199.00 but is available free to FRAPA members.

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Olswang LLP is one of Europe’s leading law firms in the areas of technology, media, telecommunications and real estate. The firm comprises of nearly 700 people including 100 partners, across seven European offices. Olswang is partnered with US technology focused law firm Cooley, and is part of a ‘best friends’ network of leading independent law firms throughout the world.

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