The Department of Trade and Industry has issued a consultation document on whether copyright protection should be extended to programme formats. A programme format comprises “the common unifying features” of a game show or comedy.
Back in 1989 it was decided that the unifying features of Opportunity Knocks, which had been copied by the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, did not constitute a work protected by copyright law. Ministers are now considering whether further protection is needed, particularly as broadcasters are being encouraged to export more programmes. Comments on the consultation paper have to be in by June 24. At present broadcasters either pay for or acknowledge another’s format, but only at an informal level.
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