Comedian Loses Copyright Lawsuit Against Steve Coogan’s Production Company Over Sitcom

variety.com:

K.J. Yossman Comedian Harry Deansway has lost his case against Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow over a sitcom he claimed infringed his copyright.

A judge in London’s High Court has ruled that Baby Cow series “Live at the Moth Club,” which ran for one season on UKTV in 2022, wasn’t a copy of Deansway’s 2013 YouTube series “Shambles.” A two-day civil trial was held in November 2024, with comedians including “The Windsors” star Ellie White and “Jurassic World Dominion” duo Alexander Owen and Ben Ashenden, who contributed to “Live at the Moth Club,” testifying on behalf of Baby Cow.

The trio said any coincidences between the two shows, which both blended stand-up sets with sitcom tropes, were a coincidence.

High Court Recorder Amanda Michaels ultimately agreed with that assessment. Deansway, who brought the case under his legal name Joshua Rinkoff, had alleged Baby Cow’s head of comedy Rupert Majendie, with whom he had had both a social and professional relationship over the course of their comedy careers, had copied the show.