After 15 years, the Italian Supreme Court has brought the long-standing matter to an end: according to the decision of the Court, Italy’s Gabibbo is not a copy of America’s Big Red, and there is no finding of copyright infringement.

This is the result of drawn out proceedings which commenced in 2002, when several American companies, including the Western Kentucky University, summoned a number of Italian entities before the Court of Ravenna to contest the use and commercial exploitation of the puppet “Gabibbo”.

The Claimants alleged that Gabibbo – the red and rather clumsy character created by Italian television producer Antonio Ricci and appearing on Italian Television in October 1990 – infringed the copyright in their puppet Big Red, a red, furry and athletic mascot of Western Kentucky University, known in the US as the WKU icon and representing the Spirit of Western.Continue Reading Gabibbo wins against Big Red: The Italian character is not a copy of the American one!