Lee & Ko Obtains Preliminary Injunction Enjoining an Act of Unfair Competition Regarding a Concert Title

Lee & Ko, on behalf of the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (“MBC”), sought preliminary injunction against a show productions agency for using “Totozle,” a title of a well-known TV program of MBC, as the title of a concert that the agency organized. Lee & Ko successfully argued that using the title constitutes an act of unfair competition. On March 2015, Lee & Ko obtained preliminary injunction and enjoined the agency from using the title for the concert. This case is meaningful as it was the first case, among disputes involving TV program titles, where the Korean courts gave protection to a TV program title under the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secrets Protection Act. Even though the TV program was aired a long time ago, the Korean courts recognized the well-known status of its title.