BBC to sue Italian TV channel over 'Strictly Come Dancing' ripoff

The BBC is suing an Italian television channel owned by Silvio Berlusconi after accusing the broadcaster of ripping off the Strictly Come Dancing format.

BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, has brought in the lawyers over claims that Mediaset breached copyright by commissioning a version of the dance show, which returned to UK screens this month.

An Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing, given the international title Dancing With The Stars, has aired on public broadcast channel Rai for six years and is fully licensed by the BBC.

However, Berlusconi's Mediaset is understood to have plans to launch a rival show called Baila! on its Canale 5 channel.

The programme is thought to be based on a South American format, called Bailando Por Un Sueno, or Dancing For A Dream, created by Televisa Mexico.

There has already been concern over the "pornographic" version of Bailando aired in Argentina, after a model danced topless and simulated sex with her partner.

BBC Worldwide has now lodged legal papers against Mediaset, production company Endemol and Televisa Mexico in a court in Rome.

The corporation is concerned that the Italian version of Dancing For A Dream will infringe its copyright for the Dancing with the Stars format.

But Mediaset claim that there are key differences in the two formats, such as that Strictly Come Dancing partners celebrities with professional dancers, while Bailando mixes talented amateurs with famous faces.

Pier Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister's son and Mediaset deputy chairman, said in a statement: "It is a dancing talent show with the peculiarity of involving both celebrities and normal people.

"The dance talent show is a format that works on commercial television everywhere in the world. We certainly wouldn't claim that the only reality format is Big Brother."

Strictly Come Dancing has become one of the BBC's most successful exports, licensed to over 35 countries around the world. The brand helped Worldwide deliver record underlying profits of £160.2 million in the year to March 31, on recession-defying revenue of £1.16 billion.

A spokesman for the BBC said: "BBC Worldwide takes the protection of its copyright extremely seriously and is currently undertaking legal action in Italy to protect its Dancing With The Stars format.

"It has been named as the world's most successful reality TV format and has been licensed to over 35 international broadcasters.

"It is very important to BBC Worldwide and its international licensees that the format is protected from infringement."