TV rights row may halt series

EQUESTRIAN SPORT: Television coverage of the national Grand Prix show jumping league, the first round of which is scheduled to be aired in a prime-time slot this evening, could be shelved due to a row over copyright.

Negotiations to try and save the programme continued late into last night, but the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI) failed to reach agreement with David Darragh, compiler of the 2005 series, who claims he owns the rights to the programme.

Darragh this week informed both Chorus Sport and TG4, the two stations due to broadcast the series, that he had registered all rights to the programme towards the end of 2005. Darragh, brother of the late Paul Darragh, was commissioned last year by Robert Joyce, the then director general of the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI), to present and produce 15 half-hour programmes covering the national league on an expenses-only basis.

Under the same agreement, Darragh was told that he would be paid a fee for the 2006 series, but Joyce's contract was terminated in December of last year and, in March of this year, Darragh was told that his services were no longer required.

Robert Joyce confirmed to The Irish Times this week a verbal agreement had been reached with Darragh that he would be paid for the 2006 series.

When the rights issue was raised by Darragh earlier this week, Chorus Sport and TG4 sought indemnity from the SJAI, stating that the television stations would not be liable for any costs if the broadcasting of the programmes resulted in an infringement of rights. This was provided by the SJAI yesterday, but the association has failed to reach an agreement with David Darragh, despite last night's discussions.

As a result, Darragh says he will be advising both television stations this morning that, as rights holder, he has not granted permission to broadcast the series. The first programme is due to be screened at 7.30 tonight on Chorus Sport and is also scheduled to be broadcast on TG4 on Monday evening.

"If I allowed the broadcast to go ahead without my intervention, that would be tantamount to admission that I'd granted permission for the broadcast to go ahead", Darragh told The Irish Times last night. "They can't infringe my copyright and it's absolutely solid."

Chief negotiator Maurice Cousins, a member of the SJAI's executive committee and a director of the association, confirmed last night that no agreement had been reached with Darragh. "But it wouldn't be up to me to say whether the programme goes ahead or not," he said.

A spokesman for TG4 said yesterday that a decision on screening the programme would be taken on Monday afternoon. Ashley Hennessy of Chorus Sport was not available for comment when contacted by The Irish Times yesterday.