It’s NOT cushty! ‘Del Boy dining experience’ is sued by the estate of the late Only Fools and Horses creator for breach of copyright
- Creators of ’emmersive dining experience’ could face fine of up to £50,000
- Fans of 1980s sitcom Only Fools and Horses could eat at the Nag’s Head pup
- Actors playing the famed charaters act out scenes in front of the audience
- Show’s creator John Sullivan died in 2011 but his estate have sued the company
A Del Boy dining experience has been sued by the estate of Only Fools and Horses’ late creator John Sullivan for breach of copyright.
‘The immersive dining experience’ could face a fine of up to £50,000 at the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court after Shazam productions – the estate of Mr Sullivan – sued for breach of copyright at the beginning of the year.
Fans of the 1980s sitcom can pay to eat at a mock-up of the Nag’s Head while watching actors play the show’s famed characters, reported The Times.
‘The immersive dining experience’ could face a fine of up to £50,000 at the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. Pictured, David Jason as Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney Trotter
The Del Boy character offers a theatrical dining experience. Shazam sued for copyright infringement and passing off – meaning the show’s audience may think the production had the full backing of the estate
But the future of the production, by English troup the Dining Experience and Astralian company Imagination workshop, is now in jeopardy.
Shazam sued for copyright infringement and passing off – meaning the show’s audience may think the production had the full backing of the estate.
Lawyers told a High Court judge the estate owns copyright for each script as well as the characters of Del Boy, Rodney, Marlene, Cassandra, Uncle Albert, Boycie, Trigger and Detective Inspector Roy Slater.
David Jason, as Del Boy during the episode, ‘Healthy Competition’ filming outside Randalls. Fans of the 1980s sitcom can pay to eat at a mock-up of the Nag’s Head while watching actors play the show’s famed characters
They also sued over the use of the lyrics to the sit-com’s opening theme.
Lawyers for the Dining Experience argued there was a defence for parody in copyright law, adding that the production mocked the comedy.
A description of the show revealed it was a ‘fully emmersive experience that transports audiences to the Nag’s Head, to meet the pride of Peckham in a night of wheeling, dealing and eating’.
The case is expected to be tried in the second half of next year.