Attempt to Claim Copyright Protection for a Talent Show Production Guideline Goes in a Pop

ATTEMPTTOCLAIMCOPYRIGHTPROTECTIONFORATALENTSHOWPRODUCTION
GUIDELINEGOESINAPOP

LaurentCarrièreandLorraineLaquerre*
LEGERROBICRICHARD
,L.L.P.
Lawyers,PatentandTrademarkAgents
CentreCDPCapital
1001Square-Victoria-BlocE–8thFloor
Montreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7
Tel.(514)9876242-Fax(514)8457874
info@robic.com-www.robic.ca

InCummingsv.CanwestGlobalBroadcastingInc.(
2007QCCA338;2007-03-08),the
QuebecCourtofAppealhasupheldajudgementrenderedbytheSuperiorCourtof
Quebecallowingamotiontodismissinacopyrightinfringementcase.
ThePlaintiff,KarlCummings,broughtanactionforcopyrightinfringementunderthe
CopyrightAct,aswellasfordamagesundertheCivilCodeofQuebec,claiming
thatCanwestGlobalBroadcastingInc.hadinfringedhiscopyrightinaconceptfora
televisionprogrammeentitledDreamsComeTruebyproducingtwoseasonsof
Popstars,anothersingingcompetitionrealityTVshow.
Canwest,followinganexaminationondiscoveryofCummings,broughtamotionto
dismissunderarticle75.1oftheQuebecCodeofCivilProcedure,claimingthe
actionwasfrivolousandclearlyunfoundedastheworkforwhichcopyright
protectionwassoughtcouldnotbeprotectedunderCanadiancopyrightlawasit
lackedoriginality.Alternatively,theyclaimedtheworksweretoodifferentfor
infringementtohaveoccurred.
UndertheCanadianCopyrightAct,foraworktobeoriginal,itmustbemorethana
merecopyofanotherworkbutitdoesnotrequireinventiveoriginalityinthesenseof
beingnovelorunique.Theexerciseofskillandjudgementiswhatisneeded.
TheSuperiorCourt,afteragreeingthatthemotiontodismisswasanappropriate
proceduralavenueinacopyrightinfringementcase,comparedCumming’sfour-
pagesguidelineforDreamsComeTrue,whichhadpreviouslybeentransmittedto
thepresidentofGlobalforconsideration,toavideocassetteoftwoepisodesof
PopstarssubmittedbythePlaintiff.

©CIPS,2007.
*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBIC
RICHARD
,L.L.P.,amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.Lorraine
Laquerreisanarticlingstudentwiththefirm.PublishedinWorldCopyrightLawReport.
Publication328.032.

TheguidelineforDreamsComeTruedescribedtheconceptofthetelevision
programmeasbeinga“no-losers-no-winnerscontestwhereeverybodycompetes
andperforms”.Thecontestwasaimedat“allmusicians,singers,composers,lyricists
anddancersofallages,regardlessoflanguageandethnicorigin”.
TheCourtagreedwiththeDefendantsthatthebriefdescriptionofCumming’s
conceptwasfundamentallydifferentfromthePopstarsserieswheretheaimwasthe
creationofagirlsbandforthefirstseason,andthecreationofamixed-genderband
forthesecondseason.Theprogrammewasnotashowcaseforsinginganddancing
butratherconsistedofadocu-dramaora«docu-soap»whichputmoreemphasis
ontheactionsandreactionsofthepeopleauditioningandtrainingonactual
performances.TheelementofcompetitionwasalsomoreprominentinPopstars,with
contestantsbeingsenthomeeveryweek.
Furthermore,theCourtexaminedtheguidelinefortheproductionofDreamsCome
Truetoseeiftheworkcouldbeconsideredoriginalundercopyrightlaw.Itcameto
theconclusion“thatbarebonesoutlineofaconceptdoesnotcontainsufficient
originalitytowarrantprotectionundercopyright”.Thiswasjustifiedbythefactthat
theDreamsComeTrueoutlinewasminimalisticandbroad-brushedandthatits
conceptwasverysimilartoothertalentshowsthathadalreadybeenbroadcasted.
Thecourtalsoaddedthatinthiscase,“itisratherthedifferencesbetweenthetwo
conceptswhicharestriking,andnotthesimilarities”.Themotiontodismisswasthus
granted.
Onappeal,theQuebecCourtofAppealconfirmedcopyrightcaseswerewell
suitedtoamotiontodismissunder75.1oftheQuebecCodeofCivilProcedure,
althoughthesetypesofmotionsshouldbegrantedonlywhenitiscleartheaction
hasnoreasonablechanceofsuccessandaftermakingsurenoadditionalevidence
couldinfluencethecase.
TheCourtalsorejectedtheappellant’sargumentwherebythemotiontodismiss
shouldhavebeenrejectedbecausesomenewevidencecouldhavebeenbrought
beforetheCourtattrial,statingthat,evenifCummingscouldprovethatthe
inspirationforthetwoseasonsofPopstarscamefromtheguidelineshecreated,
thoseguidelinescouldstillnotbeconsideredasacopyrightablework.
TheCourtreiteratedthathavinganideaisnotenoughtoobtaincopyright
protectionunderCanadiancopyrightlaw;theideahastobeembodiedinawork.
Clearly,asimplepoint-formgeneralguideline,suchastheproductionguidelinefor
DreamsComeTrue,didnotrequiresufficientexerciseofcareandjudgementforthe
worktosatisfytheoriginalityrequirementfoundintheCopyrightAct.Therewas
nothinginthedocumentthatcouldhavehelpedsomeoneproducethetelevision
programmeorexploittheappellant’sideawithoutthehelpoftheappellanthimself.

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