Children’s television favourite. Blue has been embroiled in a legal battle involving the BBC and an online merchandise seller.
BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. has taken legal action against several companies it accuses of infringing copyrights and selling “counterfeit versions” of Blue products online.
Blue is an Australian preschool animated series that has become a worldwide phenomenon since its release in 2018. Follow the adventures of puppy Bluey Heeler and her canine friend and their family. The show has won countless industry awards and has become a favorite of millions of families around the world.
Getty Images/Paul Archuleta
The BBC claims in its lawsuit to own the patent and commercialization rights to sell Blue products in the United States. The defendants in the case are known as “The unincorporated corporations and associations identified on Schedule “A”” according to court documents seen by news week.
The BBC obtained the distribution rights for Blue by Ludo Studio Pty Ltd, based in Australia.
The case was filed in Chicago, Illinois on June 20, 2023. In a list of lawsuits, BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. has asked the court to prevent the defendants from using the Blue trademark, or any “colorable reproductions, counterfeit copies or imitations”, on any of its products.
The production studio has ordered the entire imitation. Blue products to be removed from online marketplaces such as eBay, AliExpress, Alibaba, Amazon, Walmart, Wish.com, Etsy, and DHgate.
The company has demanded that the defendants be held accountable and paid all profits obtained from the violation of the Blue Commercial brand.
BBC Studios included in its lawsuit three documents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, showing that the company and Ludo Studios Pty Ltd. owned the rights to two Blue logos and character design of the main character, Bluey Heely.
Blue it has become increasingly popular during its three seasons and 151 television episodes aired so far. Viewers watched a total of 737 million minutes of programming in April alone, according to a Nielsen report. In the U.S, Blue is available to view on the Disney channels and Disney+.
While Blue is a family favorite, it has sparked controversy in the past, as two episodes were removed in August 2020. In the episodes “Teasing” and “Flat Pack”, the characters used the phrase “ooga booga”, which some viewers they found offensive. its “racial connotations”.
Australia’s ABC channel took up the issue at the time after a viewer complained that the term had “racial connotations and a problematic history for indigenous Australians”. The channel apologized and both episodes were edited to remove the offending term.