Netflix is cracking down on ‘The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical’. The streaming giant has filed a lawsuit in a Washington DC court against the composers of this unofficial musical, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.
Created on TikTok by fans of the successful saga The Bridgerton Chronicles, this program, originally non-profit, was born from videos posted by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. In these, which quickly went viral, the two young women have fun writing songs for an imaginary musical comedy based on the Netflix series.
Given the success of their videos, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear decide to collect their songs in an album called The Unofficial Bridgerton Music Album. The hugely successful record shot to the top of the iTunes charts in no time and even won the Grammy Awards for Best Music Album in 2022.
a music project
To push the initiative further, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear envision bringing their project to the Broadway boards. The duo launch a real musical, some of which could sell for up to $149 each.
On that show, more than a dozen songs allegedly “copied characters’ dialogue and expressions verbatim,” as well as other elements of the Bridgerton series, as Netflix alleges in its complaint.
Netflix, which claims to have issued “repeated objections” against the musical since its inception, claims it had no choice but to take legal action against Abigail Barlow and Emily Bea.
“Throughout the show, Barlow & Bear have led the public to believe that they are using the Bridgerton brand with permission. Only Netflix has the exclusive right to create songs, musicals, or any derivative works based on Bridgerton,” the company says in the complaint. .
The musical ‘The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical’ was due to go on tour, with an upcoming date at the Royal Albert Hall in London. There were also alleged merchandising projects, according to the complaint.
“Barlow and Bear Have Gone Too Far”
Netflix, which has its own competing event “Bridgerton Experience”, however claims to support “any content created by fans”. “But Barlow and Bear went too far, seeking to monetize Bridgerton’s intellectual property without permission,” the platform said in a statement. Term.
“We have tried to work hard with Barlow & Bear, and they have refused to cooperate. The creators, cast, writers and crew have poured their hearts and souls into Bridgerton and we are taking steps to protect their rights.” the platform.
the producer of Bridgerton ChroniclesShonda Rhimes also reacted to this case. If she confesses at the beginning that she appreciated the songs made on TikTok, the screenwriter is nevertheless unanimous about the benefits generated thanks to the evolution of the project:
“What started out as a funny wink from Barlow & Bear on TikTok turned into blatant theft of intellectual property designed solely for their financial gain,” says Shonda Rhimes.
And to conclude: “This property was created by author Julia Quinn and has been brought to life on screen thanks to the hard work of countless people. Netflix cannot sit idly by.”
Source: BFM TV
