Renowned comedian Harry Deansway’s copyright infringement claim against Baby Cow Productions, co-founded by Steve Coogan, is set for trial later this year. Deansway alleges that Rupert Majendie, head of comedy at Baby Cow, copied the format of his innovative YouTube sitcom series titled ‘Shambles’, based on live comedy nights at the Shambles at the Aces and Eights club in London.
Deansway’s Allegations
Deansway asserts that the format of ‘Shambles’ is an original dramatic work protected by copyright law. He claims that Baby Cow’s new series, ‘Live at the Moth Club’, premiered on Dave, shares similarities with ‘Shambles’, including characters, storylines, jokes, and settings.
It is extremely disappointing that my friend Rupert Majendie, head of comedy at Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow should have copied my original work like this without so much as courtesy call. That it was done by a friend and collaborator in the industry is just deeply saddening.
The dispute is complicated by Deansway’s prior association with Rupert Majendie, Baby Cow’s head of comedy and the creator of ‘Live At The Moth Club’. Majendie and Deansway had collaborated on comedy projects in the past. Deansway alleges that an early version of the show was pitched to Majendie long before Live At The Moth Club even first aired.
Legal Representation
Harry Deansway has engaged Lawrence Abramson, a media litigation partner at Keystone Law, to represent him in the proceedings.
The lawsuit is now scheduled for trial in October after an out-of-court settlement failed to be reached. Deansway characterizes the situation as a “David and Goliath clash” and acknowledges that he could lose thousands of pounds if he is not successful.
Deansway expressed disappointment over the alleged copying of his work by a friend and collaborator in the industry. He questions the ethics of such actions and voices concern over the denial strategy adopted by Baby Cow.
I’ve been shocked and appalled by Baby Cow’s strategy of denial when in my opinion the show has been so obviously copied… What makes it so much worse is that by standing up for my principles I am having to go head-to-head with every comedian’s comic idol Steve Coogan, I can’t help wondering how he would have felt if someone had copied one of his early characters when he was just starting out and then tried to allege that this was perfectly legal.
Claims
Deansway claims that they have infringed copyright by:
- Reproducing a substantial part of Shamble’s dramatic format through each episode of Live at the Moth Club (s.17 CDPA 1988).
- Communicating copies of each infringing episode to the public via broadcast on Dave or streaming on UKTV Play (s.21 CDPA 1988).
- Authorising third parties to commission these acts as the producer of Live at the Moth Club (s.16(2) CDPA 1988).
- Assisting, procuring, or directing these acts as an accessory to the infringements (common design).
In response to Deansway’s claims, Baby Cow issued a statement asserting that ‘Live At The Moth Club’ is an original work and that Deansway’s claim has no legal merit. The production company emphasized its commitment to defending against the allegations.
The trial is set to start this October. For more comedy news click on to our website, but if you’re looking for hilarious comedy shows and comedians then head on over to one of the best comedy clubs in London, Big Belly Comedy Club!
