Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Spain’s Supreme Court Rules ‘El Rosco’ Belongs to Dutch Firm MC&F

The decision requires broadcasters to stop using the contest’s iconic final round and creates new legal and commercial pressure on the country’s leading TV groups.

Overview

  • The Supreme Court confirmed on May 21 that the final round known as 'El Rosco' is a protected creation owned by MC&F and upheld a lower-court finding that it is not part of ITV’s Pasapalabra rights.
  • The ruling orders Atresmedia to cease using the game, to withdraw and destroy recordings and production materials that reproduce it, and to pay €50,000 in compensation to MC&F.
  • Atresmedia continues to air recorded Pasapalabra episodes with El Rosco while it awaits formal notification and a voluntary execution period that gives the company several weeks to comply or seek a deal.
  • Separately, the Audiencia Provincial de Madrid has ordered Mediaset to pay €73.2 million to ITV for past unauthorised broadcasts, a judgment Mediaset says it will seek to annul in light of the Supreme Court ruling.
  • Reports say Mediaset reached a conditional agreement with MC&F for Rosco rights, a move that could let Mediaset develop a new show using the game and force rival broadcasters to redesign flagship programming and schedules.