Copyright Infringement Case Study

Copyright Infringement Case: Rhoda and Me v. It's a Date

• IXL (President and General Manager) claimed BJPI (copyright holder of "Rhoda and Me") infringed their copyright, demanding cessation of airing "It's a Date".
• BJPI argued that the court improperly determined copyrightability, a matter exclusively for the regional trial court.
• Zosa (from IXL) maintained that the non-presentation of the "Rhoda and Me" master tape invalidated probable cause for infringement and that BJPI's copyright only covered specific episodes, not dating game show formats.
• The ruling concluded that dating game show formats are not copyrightable under Philippine law (P.D. No. 49 and R.A. No. 8293).
• Copyright protection applies only to the finished works, not concepts or the overall format. No copyright protection is granted to ideas, procedures, or systems.
• The presentation of the master tape of "Rhoda and Me" was crucial to determine copyright infringement; written descriptions were deemed insufficient.
• Television shows involve complex visuals and audio that cannot be fully captured by word descriptions alone.

Copyright Dispute: Manly Sporting Goods

• MANLY claimed copyright for its sporting goods, arguing for protection under R.A. No. 8293.

• The RTC (Regional Trial Court) deemed MANLY's products ordinary and common, not original creations, thus ineligible for copyright protection under R.A. No. 8293.

• MANLY's registration certificates were issued later than those of Dadodette, further suggesting a lack of originality in MANLY's products.

• The Supreme Court upheld the RTC's decision, stating that copyright certificates are only prima facie evidence.

• Other evidence can negate this presumption of validity and ownership.

• Certificates issued by the National Library and Supreme Court Library only function as notice, not conferring ownership rights.