Kiwis lose copyright case

An Australian court has rejected claims from New Zealand production company Ninox that the format of its show Dream Home was copied by Australia's Channel Nine show The Block.

Ninox owner John McEwen had said The Block's format breached copyright laws and cost the company millions of dollars in international licensing deals.

Channel Nine has licensed The Block to firms in the US, Britain, South Africa, Denmark and Canada.

But last month Australian Federal Court Judge John Tamberlin rejected Ninox's claim and ordered it to pay Channel Nine's court costs.

"Having regard to technique, context, character of contestants, mood, music, image, style and basic theme content, the two productions and formats are a long way apart and are different in their essential features," Judge Tamberlin said.

He also accepted an application from Channel Nine for action against Ninox for groundless threats of copyright infringement.

In Dream Home, couples renovate run-down homes with materials provided by a sponsor, and viewers vote for the winner.

Ninox had licensed it to Channel Nine, which made one series before making The Block in 2002, in which couples renovate an old apartment that is then auctioned, with the winners taking a cash prize.