TV company VID filed a claim for 2 million rubles. to the media holding “Red Square”

The TV company VID (Vzglyad and others), which until 2021 produced the show “Field of Miracles” for Channel One, filed a lawsuit for 2 million rubles. to the Red Square media holding, the current contractor of the channel. The subject of the dispute was the program for the 30th anniversary of the show – “Field of Miracles. 30 best”, which was also made by VID. The re-broadcast took place on Channel One after the end of the contract with the manufacturer. Although the broadcaster took away the brand of the capital show, the film could have used materials the rights to which remained with VID, lawyers believe.

“Kommersant” discovered in the file of arbitration cases that on October 19, JSC “TV Company VID” filed a claim with the Moscow Arbitration Court against LLC “Red Square”. The third party in the case is Channel One JSC. The court ruling specifies that the amount of the claim is 2 million rubles, and Channel One is obliged to provide information about the producer of the film “Field of Miracles” by February 9, 2024. Top 30.” The court hearing in the case is scheduled for February 28, 2024.

Back in 2020, VID prepared a program for the 30th anniversary of the show, which showed the most “bright and interesting fragments” during its existence. It was replayed on Channel One on August 5, 2023. Kommersant’s interlocutors in the media market believe that it was this show that became a “stumbling block” between the companies. Channel One, Red Square and the VID company did not answer Kommersant.

“Field of Miracles” is one of the oldest programs in Russia. It was created by journalist Vladislav Listyev and ex-CEO of OTR Anatoly Lysenko, based on the model of the television quiz show Wheel of Fortune, which Mr. Lysenko saw on TV abroad. In the early 1990s, the owner of this format, the American CBS, did not sell them a license. Then Listyev and producer Alexey Murmulev decided to combine well-known foreign game programs into one, without the participation of a foreign copyright holder.

The main producer of “Field of Miracles” from 1990 to 2021 was VID. In 2021, Channel One did not renew the contract, but acquired a license for Wheel of Fortune from the American CBS (see “Kommersant” dated November 30, 2021). Then it was clarified that the channel refused to cooperate with VID “due to the inexpediency of concluding a new agreement on the proposed changed conditions.” Kommersant’s interlocutors in the market claim that the reason was the “increase in the cost of services” on the part of the television company. As a result, it was replaced by “Red Square”.

DestraLegal Legal Director Boris Feldman notes that disputes periodically arise between TV channels, show producers and copyright holders. Thus, in August, Digital Project LLC (engaged in the consolidation of rights to media content of domestic and foreign performers, authors and composers) demanded compensation from Channel One for violation of exclusive rights, and Red Square participated as a third party. “The claim was satisfied: 3.9 million rubles were recovered from the channel. and ordered to remove from the components of television programs (“Three Chords”, “Voice”, “Voice. Children”, “Two Stars”), for example, the musical work “Vain Words”, containing music written by David Tukhmanov and text by Larisa Rubalskaya ” , explains the lawyer.

The subject of the dispute most often becomes the uncoordinated use of someone else’s results of intellectual activity or non-payment of remuneration under the contract, says Boris Feldman. He believes that the lawsuit regarding the “Field of Miracles” refers to the first option. The law allows the copyright holder to request a fixed payment from 10 thousand to 5 million rubles, twice the cost of counterfeit copies of the work or the right to use them.

The rights to the trademark “Field of Miracles” were transferred to Channel One on February 28, 2022, as stated in the Rospatent database, notes managing partner of Enterprise Legal Solutions Yuri Fedyukin. He believes that the claim may be related to the use of video materials, the rights to which were not transferred to Channel One, for example, footage that was not included in the releases, backstage, documentary or technical footage, which required payments to the copyright holder. In this case, Yuri Fedyukin believes, we can expect another lawsuit from VID if a re-broadcast occurs.

Yulia Yurasova