The Supreme Court has closed a key chapter in the legal battle for Pasapalabra by determining that the final test known as 'El Rosco' cannot be broadcast in Spain by Atresmedia under the current contract conditions with ITV Studios.
The judicial resolution, known this Thursday, reinterprets the scope of television format protection and concludes that the final test constitutes an essential and inseparable element of the overall concept of the quiz show, limiting its independent exploitation.
'El Rosco', the central piece of the litigation
The ruling once again places one of the most recognizable tests in Spanish television at the center of the conflict: the Rosco, in which contestants must guess words associated with letters of the alphabet within a limited time.
According to the Supreme Court, this mechanic —along with its circular graphic representation and its competitive structure— forms part of a creative set protected as a unit of format, which prevents its separate use or under incomplete licenses.
A conflict that goes back a long way
The origin of the case dates back to the complex ownership of the international format The Alphabet Game, sold with multiple adaptations in different countries.
The court recalls that the dispute had previously pitted Mediaset against ITV Studios, and that the 2019 ruling on the previous stage of the program on Telecinco already pointed to the problematic nature of the format's exploitation in Spain.
Now, the Supreme Court goes a step further by considering that the structure of the quiz show cannot be fragmented without affecting the intellectual property rights of its original creators.
Direct impact on Spanish television
The decision directly affects the current broadcast of the quiz show on Atresmedia's Antena 3 channel, where Pasapalabra has established itself as one of the most-watched daily television programs.
The format, presented by Roberto Leal, usually generates the highest audience peaks of the day and functions as one of the main drivers of the subsequent news prime time.
The international precedent: France and Argentina
The ruling could have effects beyond Spain. In countries like France, the format has been adapted under alternative versions such as Tout le monde a son mot à dire, where the final test replaces the Rosco with chained question dynamics without a circular structure.
In the case of Argentina, where the program is currently broadcast on Telefe, intellectual property experts warn that the model used could conflict with the Spanish Supreme Court's interpretation if similar international claims were to occur.