Intellectual Property (IP) Law and the Media and DBC Television’s Issue

Intellectual property law refers to the rules that protect copyrights, property patents, and trademarks, and through which the property owners exercise the rights they have over the intangible assets they develop. These intangible assets include symbols, artistic, literary works, and musical works, phrases, words, inventions and discoveries (Dutfield & Suthersanen 2007, p. 267). The most commonly recognized intellectual property rights include trademarks, industrial design rights, trade secrets, patents, and copyrights. For this paper, the most applicable property law is the copyrights (Seville 2009, p. 4).

The controversial issue to be addressed in the paper revolves around Media Ltd, one of the most recognized TV production companies in the United Kingdom, and DBC television, which broadcasts the Zoo, one of the children animated TV series. The Media Ltd licenses the copyright to a third party to make Lawrence Lion books, dolls, and children clothing. Lawrence Lion is a popular character in the Zoo.

The Zoo items are complicated and are extremely expensive to make. A single worker, working for averagely ten hours a day, can only make 30 dolls. The items are meant for collectors and none is supposed to be purchased for children. Carl’s family, one of the Zoo fans, lends Sheila some of their collections. The collection is supposed to form part of the entertainment for Sheila’s little daughter. Unfortunately, David, Sheila’s husband, secretly reproduces several copies at a friend’s video production place and begins to sell them. Juan, who also happens to have seen the Lawrence video, starts producing similar dolls in Spain. Some of her dolls are again imported back to the UK by Import Ltd.

This paper will outline the legal issu...

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