“From what I know about courts, it could be well into the early spring before anything is decided,” said one lawyer involved, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid further inflaming passions among the opposing parties.Barring an out-of-court settlement — and insiders say there are no such negotiations taking place — “Project Runway” seems unlikely to be back on the air for months at best.
The delay is the result of the continuing legal dispute between the Weinstein Company, which produces the series, and NBC Universal, the parent of Bravo. Early this year the Weinstein Company sold the rights to the series to Lifetime Networks for five years for what it says was some $200 million.
NBC Universal sued, saying it had a right of first refusal to keep the show on one of its channels. In September a New York State judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing Lifetime from promoting or broadcasting the series.
The case had been designated for a fast-track appeal in the New York courts, but last month Lifetime succeeded in moving the case from state to federal court, claiming that its copyright claims to the series made the dispute a federal matter. A federal judge in Manhattan is now in the process of deciding whether to uphold or overturn the state judge’s injunction or whether to return the case to the state level.
Sigh. Will anyone give a shit when the wait is over? Yea, of course they will. Us PR people are pretty loyal! But Lifetime? Eesh. I don't know if I can bring myself to actually tune in to Life-fucking-time of all channels once a week.
