Rupert Murdoch’s Hollywood film studio is being forced to defend a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by the founder of a UK comedy and music night.
Mark Tughan, who founded The Glee Club in 2001, is seeking seven-figure compensation for the alleged breach of intellectual property rights.
He believes that 20th Century Fox – creator of the hit musical comedy series Glee – breached a trademark he registered eight years before the first episode aired on US television.
The Glee Club events have been staged in a number of UK cities, including Birmingham, Cardiff, Nottingham and Oxford.
Mr. Tughan filed the suit in London on June 14th.
20th Century Fox has vowed to fight the lawsuit in the courts, with the studio claiming to be unaware of the comedy club or its entertainment offering.
“It is admitted that [Fox] threatens and intends to continue and repeat the acts complained of. It is fully entitled to do so because the said acts are entirely lawful,” the studio stated.
However, the claimant Mr. Tughan told the news provider that Fox is making “a big mistake” if it thinks it can make him “go away”.
“I am confident I will win this,” the plaintiff stated.
The third series of Glee is currently airing on Sky TV in the UK, with a fourth series already commissioned by 20th Century Fox.
The show – made famous by its celebrity cameos- focuses on show choir members and staff members at William McKinley High School in Ohio.