Arguments begin as soon as new music channel does

New Zealand's latest television channel - the all-music C4 - went to air last night amid a dispute over who actually owns the idea for the new station.

Owner CanWest, which also runs TV3, was served legal papers yesterday.

The action is being taken by a former musician who claims the company ripped off the format he had come up with.

Deane Sutherland, founder of 1980s band Satellite Spies, says he met CanWest management to discuss a free-to-air music channel.

After the meeting, in March this year, Mr Sutherland says he was told a music channel was "not the future of TV4".

Mr Sutherland, who says he had been asked to meet TV4 management and discuss the plans with his company Satellite Music TV Ltd, said watching the launch last night had confirmed his fears.

"We supplied an extremely detailed plan and forecast, but they said TV4 was not interested in a music channel," Mr Sutherland said.

"Seeing the show and the commercials gives us a very strong case.

As the channel was launched at 6.30pm last night, C4 bosses insisted they would fight the case.

Station manager Suzanne Wilson said: "We were served papers yesterday and we've instructed our legal counsel. We will defend it vigorously."

CanWest chief executive Brent Impey added that there would be no interruption to the programmes.

"It will not affect the station at all or the channel launch and we're going ahead as planned," he said.

"We've read the papers, we're taking legal advice and we will defend them."

The channel, which originally went under the title of 4Music, is aimed at 15-to-29-year-olds.

It will be a youth music channel, but will continue to screen TV4's popular cartoon comedy South Park and is launching Jackass, a top- rating MTV comedy stunt series.

CanWest hope the channel will turn around the fortunes of the loss-making TV4 by increasing its appeal to viewers and advertisers.