A lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court against Food Network Canada for allegedly copying a concept for a television show is onto the next round.
According to court documents, Andrew John Henni, Jennifer Pearl Butcher, Raphael Cohen, Stephen Anthony Carney and John Pearl Enterprises Ltd. are seeking an injunction, accounting of profits and damages for breach of copyright.
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They allege they pitched an idea for a TV program called Food Factories to Food Network Canada several years ago, but their concept was rejected. They later learned the network had created a show called Food Factory, which they claim was identical to their idea.
Food Factory first aired in August 2012, and the plaintiffs took legal action the following year. The trial has moved slowly mainly because of changes made to the claim, time needed to review documents and not enough days being set aside for the hearing.
Food Network Canada has called the claims “vexatious” and inconsistent with the evidence.
On Monday, a B.C. Supreme Court judge approved the plaintiffs’ application to make several updates, including adding the network’s affiliate, Cineflix, which produces the program, as a defendant, and claiming unjust enrichment.
The defendants have seven days to respond to the updated claim.
joti.grewal@bpdigital.ca
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