Si Joey de Leon ang unang saksi sa pagdinig sa application for the issuance of writ of injuction na inihain nila nina former Senator Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, at Jeny Ferre.
Kaugnay ito ng pagnanais nilang ihinto ng TAPE Inc. at GMA-7 ang paggamit sa pamagat na Eat Bulaga!, mga segment, at audio-visual recording pagkatapos magpaalam ang TVJ sa longest-running noontime show noong May 31, 2023.
Read: TVJ, Jeny Ferre file copyright infringement and unfair competition complaints vs TAPE, GMA-7
Si Ferre ang dating creative director ng TAPE at sinasabing gumawa ng mga patok na segments ng Eat Bulaga!.
Read: Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon bid goodbye to TAPE, 'Eat Bulaga!' viewers
Naganap ang unang pagdinig sa kaso sa sala ni Judge Romeo Dizon Tagra ng Branch 273 ng Regional Trial Court ng Marikina City, nitong Huwebes ng umaga, July 27, 2023.
Sumailalim si Joey sa direct, cross, redirect, at recross examination nang magbigay siya ng kanyang testimonya tungkol sa usapin.
Sinabi ni Atty. Enrique dela Cruz ng Divina Law office, ang legal counsel ng mga nagsakdal, na plano rin nilang iharap si Tito bilang saksi sa kabila ng initial manifestation na sina Joey at Jeny lamang ang kanilang mga ipiprisinta.
Read: Eat Bulaga! war and how it changes Philippine TV: A Timeline
TAPE HAS THE TRADEMARK REGISTRATION, SAYS LAWYER
Naninindigan ang TAPE na ito ang may "trademark registration" at may karapatang gumamit ng pangalan at logo na "Eat Bulaga," pati na ang segments at lumang episodes nito.
Sa pamamagitan ng kanilang abogado na dumalo rin sa nasabing pagdinig, inihayag ni Atty. Maggie Abraham-Garduque ang panig ng TAPE tungkol sa reklamo ng TVJ at ni Ferre.
Saad ni Garduque, “For the application for writ of injunction, plaintiff TVJ and Jeny Ferre want TAPE Inc. to stop airing the show with the title Eat Bulaga!, its segment and the audio-visual recording of the episodes of Eat Bulaga! prior to May 31, 2023 but TAPE Inc. opposed to this saying that since TAPE Inc. has the trademark registration of the name and logo of Eat Bulaga!, it has the right to use the name and logo of Eat Bulaga!.
“It has also trademark registrations of the segments. Plaintiffs do not have registration of the name and logo of Eat Bulaga! either at the Bureau of Trademark or copyright of the IPO (Intellectual Property Office)."
Iginiit din ng TAPE na sila ang may-ari ng copyright ng lahat ng audiovisual recordings o lumang episodes ng Eat Bulaga! dahil sila ang nagbayad sa lahat ng gastos ng produksiyon upang magawa ang mga naturang episode.
Saad ng legal counsel ng TAPE, “As regards the audiovisual recordings, TAPE Inc. insisted that they own the copyright thereof because they spent for all the expenses of production to be able to make those episodes.
Pinalagan din ng TAPE ang inirereklamong "unfair competition" ng TVJ at ni Ferre dahil sa patuloy na paggamit ng TAPE sa titulong Eat Bulaga!, na nagbibigay umano ng maling impresyon na konektado pa ang TVJ sa TAPE.
Ayon sa TAPE, walang unfair competition dahil noon pang May 31, 2023 ay inanunsiyo na ng TVJ sa publiko na kumalas na sila sa TAPE at naglunsad na ang mga ito ng sariling programa sa TV5, ang E.A.T..
Sabi ni Garduque, “Plaintiff in the same complaint likewise said that there is unfair competition because the continues usage of Eat Bulaga! name of TAPE Inc. gives misleading impression to the public that TVJ is still connected to TAPE and that it is the same Eat Bulaga! 44 years ago with TVJ as hosts.
“There is no unfair competition. TVJ as early as May 31, 2023 publicly announced their severance with TAPE Inc. so the public will not be misled that they are still connected with TAPE.
"Likewise, TVJ launched their own noontime show on TV5 with the title E.A.T. so the public knows that the Eat Bulaga! being shown on GMA-7 now is not the same Eat Bulaga! with them as hosts."