News Corp.’s Twentieth Century Fox Film division has been sued by a British company claiming its ‘Glee’ television series may be confused with U.K. comedy events using the same name.
The trademark-infringement claim was brought by Comic Enterprises Ltd., which operates the ‘Glee Club’ comedy venues in Cardiff, Oxford and Nottingham that began in 1994. The dispute was referred to a higher London court by a patent judge.
The owner of Comic Enterprises claims the title of the U.S. series about a high school music club “led to clear confusion between his business and the program,” Judge Colin Birss said.
The claim for an injunction would have “catastrophic consequences” for Fox if successful and should be decided in a higher court even if it means extra costs, Birss said in a written ruling.
RBR-TVBR observation: It seems ridiculous that “Glee Clubs” in the UK could ever be confused with a television show named “Glee.” However the show does air on multiple networks in the U.K—including Sky1, Sky2, E4, E4HD, TV3 and 3e. So the U.K. courts do have jurisdiction there because of it.
