< Back to previous page

BBC Worldwide and Woolworths intellectual property dispute reaches court

Published on 12 Jun 2009 under category: legal

Commercial litigation between BBC Worldwide and Woolworths is to be heard by the High Court today.

The organisations' intellectual property dispute focuses on the value of joint venture 2Entertain after the retailer went into administration last year.

BBC Worldwide claims that the existing contract means that the firm's situation means that ownership of the company's content reverts back to the BBC, with valuation of the joint venture taking this into account.

Deloitte, operating as administrator for Woolworths, disputes this claim and believes the rights to manufacture and distribute DVDs can be sold on, which would increase the value of the company's 40 per cent stake in the firm.

There is no suggestion that Deloitte intends to sell on this material to any firm other than the BBC.

Earlier this month, ZDNet.co.uk reported that Psion and Intel have resolved an intellectual property dispute over the term netbook out of court, with the former withdrawing its trademark registration of the name.