Pasapalabra is one of the most significant contests in the history of television in Spain. Since it appeared for the first time on Antena 3 in 2000, by Sílvia Jato, the program became almost obligatory viewing during the pre-dinner and news programs. However, despite trying to convey good vibes and competitiveness for more than 20 years, behind the scenes there have been many litigations that have tarnished his career.
The last of them could be the definitive one, and that is that the General Court of the European Union has once again rejected the appeals presented by Good Services, a company based in Malta and a subsidiary of the Dutch production company MC
The complicated history of this litigation dates back to 1999, when the Italian company Einstein entered into a contract with ITV to premiere an adaptation of the space in the transalpine country. Under the name of Passaparola, Einstein would add a new game: the Ruota Finale. This became part of the contest thanks to a licensing agreement with MC
As the years went by, ITV sold The Alphabet Game to other countries, including Spain, where its version of the Ruota Finale would become known as El Rosco. The British network maintains that Passaparola’s contract credits them as owners of any adaptation of the contest. Likewise, they defend that Einstein did not inform them of the negotiation with MC
For their part, the Dutch denounce that ITV has been reusing its 21×100 format illegally, which is why its subsidiary Good Services tried to register the trademark in 2018. Now, the General Court’s resolution indicates that the Maltese acted “in bad faith.” . The letter indicates that Good Services requested registration for a brand “that it had not created and in which it had not expressed interest, in a context, furthermore, in which MC
The ruling also points out that “the concept ‘bad faith’ refers to the subjective motivation of the person who submits the application for registration of a trademark: a dishonest intention or other harmful motive. It involves conduct that deviates from commonly accepted principles of ethical behavior or fair practices in commerce or business.”