Midlands comedy venue settles battle with Hollywood studio

A six-year court battle between a Midlands comedy venue and a major Hollywood TV studio is finally over.

When The Glee Club opened in Birmingham in 1994 its owner Mark Tughan registered the name as a trademark. In 2010 he opened another Glee Club in Nottingham, just as the hit TV show ‘Glee’ was becoming popular. The series, about a US high-school song and dance troupe, gained millions of fans around the world.

Tughan claimed he saw an immediate drop in business, which he blamed on customer confusion between his clubs and the TV series. He sued 20th Century Fox for infringement of his ‘Glee’ trademark.

Mark Tughan told ITV News:

The TV show 'Glee' is about about a US high-school song and dance troupe Credit: 20th Century Fox Television

The legal battle raged on for six years, through the High Court and the Appeal Court. The Glee Club won several victories including one which would compel the TV show to change its title. 20th Century Fox appealed every court decision but just days before the case was due before theSupreme Court, the two sides came to an out-of-court agreement.

A legal saga that had run for longer than the TV show had lasted, was finally over.

Mark Tughan told ITV News:

20th Century Fox declined to comment on the settlement.