It's a beautiful Good Morning for John Bundy

A court yesterday turned down a request by a production house to stop television presenter John Bundy from using the word Bonġu (good morning) in connection with his new breakfast show.

DEE Media TV production house filed for a warrant of prohibtory injunction against Mr Bundy, rival producers 26th Frame Ltd and One Productions Ltd to stop them from using the word in the title and promotion of the new programme that is meant to be aired on One TV next month.

The production house said Bonġu was their trademark and its "distinctiveness" was synonymous with their own breakfast show Bonġu Bundy.

In effect, they were fighting the fact that the One TV breakfast show would be using the same running title as the one DEE Media TV had on PBS: Bonġu Bundy.

But the greeting is widely used and this was precisely one of the points that Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia made in his j udgment.

He said that being such a widely-used term it would not infringe on the copyright that DEE media TV had on the title since they asked for a ban on the word Bonġu and not on Bonġu Bundy.

He added that even the graphic for the One TV show was completely different and that meant it would not confuse the audience between one show and the other.

The court concluded that the production house would not suffer any damages because of this and so turned down the request. Lawyer Beppe Fenech Adami appeared for 26th Frame Ltd. Lawyer Carlo Bisazza appeared for Mr Bundy. Lawyers Pawlu Lia and Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi appeared for One Productions Ltd.