Footage Of The First Female Doctor Sends BBC To California Court

BBC wants the California Federal Court to reveal who the leaker is.

BBC Studios is asking a California Federal Court to compel a social media company to reveal who leaked a video of the upcoming season on Dr. Who. This is particularly a big deal because this season will reveal a new doctor and the first female Dr. Who ever.

Page Six says that BBC Studios is making it clear that they are not going after the social media app Tapatalk, but rather the individual who posted the copyrighted material which includes the new Dr. Who, Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch), who is the first female Dr. Who ever.

BBC Studios is asking the California court to compel Tapatalk to share the identity of the person who shared the 53-second clip of the upcoming Dr. Who season. The British studio says that the person who uploaded the material also violated Tapatalk’s terms of service.

“[BBC Studios takes] theft and illegal distribution of our content extremely seriously. It’s understood that the link was disabled soon after the BBC discovered it and it has been removed from other social media sites.”

The studio explains that they are pursuing this matter through legal channels because they need to protect intellectual property rights.

https://twitter.com/NME/status/1014096682831794176

The BBC Studios spokesman says that uploading this video is a form of theft.

“We will strive to protect our program-makers, audiences and license fee payers from any breaches of security – ensuring Doctor Who fans enjoy the final and fully completed version of the episode when it premieres.”

The first reveal of Jodie Whittaker as Dr. Who was supposed to be at San Diego Comic-Con (July 19-22) as part of a panel discussion in a huge hall stuffed with Whovians from all over the globe to promote the new season, which debuts in the fall with a 10-episode series.

The Hollywood Reporter says that BBC Studios is being represented by powerhouse law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, which has made a name for itself in various high-profile piracy cases.

The British Broadcasting Corporation has now subpoenaed the social media app to force them to reveal the name of the individual who shared the Dr. Who clip so they can figure out how that person came to possess the top-secret video.

The current Dr. Who incarnation is on its 11th season, while the series as a whole is in its 54th year. Jodie Whittaker, one of the stars of Broadchurch, is taking over from Peter Capaldi, who was the last Dr. Who.