Ten claims word as its own


CHANNEL Ten has claimed the word idol as its own and will take legal action to protect it from being used in Australian Idol lookalike competitions.

A string of organisations have run their own single "idol" competitions for several years but now have second thoughts.

Inverell Shire Council, in northern NSW, has run an Inverell Idol competition for young people for the past three years.

Council youth officer Julie Paine said Inverell Idol would not be held this year because of Channel Ten's claim of copyright.

Nearby Bingara went ahead on Australia Day with its Gwydir Idol competition but changed the name to Gwydol.

A spokesman for Grundy, the producers of Australian Idol, said the company took the licensing seriously because clients paid a substantial amount of money to be associated with the program.

Source: The Sun-Herald