Glee may be kicked off the air in the UK because of a trademark lawsuit

The United Kingdom may soon have fewer earnest teenage vocalists crowding its airwaves. A United Kingdom high court has ruled that Fox's Glee, now in its fifth season, is in violation of a trademark held by British company Comic Enterprises in The Glee Club, a stand-up comedy club with four locations in the UK. Comic Enterprises is owned by Mark Tughan, who brought the lawsuit in 2011 after one too many people walked into his club, realized that Lea Michele was not going to perform, and left without even buying a drink. Judge Roger Wyand wrote the opinion:

"I have found that there is a likelihood of confusion and Twentieth Century Fox's use causes dilution and tarnishing [of Comic Enterprises' trademark] ...the damage suffered by Comic Enterprises is caused by its venues being confused with the TV show and its potential customers being put off."

Glee's future on UK television is now uncertain. The court could issue an injunction ordering Fox to pull the show from the airwaves. Comic Enterprises could demand reparations for all the income Fox may have made from customers who tuned in to Glee thinking the show had something to do with The Glee Club. Or Fox could re-brand the show in a way that doesn't interfere with any trademarks, perhaps by renaming it The Good Time Singing Hour or Glee (in no way associated with The Glee Club).