Could a format infringement be behind the sale of The Great British Bake Off…?

Producers of The Great British Bake Off reportedly engaged lawyers and threatened to sue the BBC.

It has been reported that the BBC was involved in a dispute with Love Productions back in 2014 over a hairdressing competition called Hair, which originally been shown on BBC3.

Produced by the BBC, Hair documented the quest to find the country’s best amateur hair stylist through a series of hairdressing challenges, similar to the challenges on Bake Off.

Love Productions argued that Hair effectively “ripped-off” the Bake Off format. Love Productions lawyer said it was the clearest cut case they’d seen of a format infringement.

The matter did not reach the court however; the dispute may have caused a breakdown in relationships with the BBC resulting in the sale of the show to Channel 4.

If you have a brand, something you have invented, or an original piece of work that you have written and someone infringes your rights we can help. We can assist you in securing an injunction and/or damages or account of profits and the delivery up and destruction of the offending item. If you have been accused of infringing someone’s intellectual property rights then we can also help by raising various defences and minimizing your liability.

If you feel you have an intellectual property case and need some legal advice then please speak to Shalish Mehta, our civil and commercial litigation solicitor. Please call us on 0161 785 3534 or email sm@wrigleyclaydon.com.