Netflix Sues Creators Of Unofficial Bridgerton Musical For Infringement, Seeks Halt To Live Shows

Netflix Inc on Friday sued the creators of an alleged unauthorised musical stage production of its popular period drama Bridgerton, accusing them of copyright infringement after building demand for their knockoff on TikTok.

The complaint is filed against songwriting duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear who staged a live concert of “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album Live in Concert” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC earlier this week, selling out the venue.

Netflix originally hailed the concept when it debuted as a free online homage. But when that expanded into a profitable business, things became sticky, reports Deadline.

“Netflix owns the exclusive right to create Bridgerton songs, musicals, or any other derivative works based on Bridgerton,” the 25-page lawsuit states. “Barlow & Bear cannot take that right—made valuable by others’ hard work—for themselves, without permission. Yet that is exactly what they have done.”

Bridgerton, based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling romance novels, attracted 82 million viewers in its first season on Netflix. It was renewed for a second season, inspired a spin-off series and live event, The Queen’s Ball, hosted in six cities.

Netflix said after Bridgerton was first released in December 2020, the defendants started posting about the series to TikTok, where they have 2.4 million followers, including creating songs based on characters, scenes, dialogue and plot points.

Netflix claims it made “repeated objection” to the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical stage show, which sold tickets ranging up to $149 each. VIP packages were even more expensive.

“Throughout the performance, Barlow & Bear misrepresented to the audience that they were using Netflix’s BRIDGERTON trademark “with Permission,” the lawsuit further states.

Barlow and Bear’s 15-track album also won Best Musical Theater Album at this year’s Grammys. The lawsuit also notes that the pair plans to tour, with a date in London’s Royal Albert Hall upcoming. There are also allegedly plans for a line of merchandise, the suit claims.

“Barlow & Bear’s conduct began on social media, but stretches ‘fan fiction’ well past its breaking point,” Netflix said. “It is a blatant infringement of intellectual property rights.” The lawsuit seeks to stop the alleged infringements, plus unspecified damages.

Barlow & Bear have not commented on the lawsuit as yet. Their version of the musical was developed on social media in real-time, with lead vocals by Barlow and orchestration, production and additional vocals by Bear. The record hit No. 1 on iTunes US pop charts, streaming more than 45 million times.

Suggested Reading: Why Netflix’s Brigerton Did Not Manage To Sweep Me Off My Feet: Honest Review