Plagiarism claims resurface as 'Pasapalabra' faces new lawsuit in Spain

The popular Spanish television game show "Pasapalabra" is once again embroiled in a legal battle, this time concerning its current final segment, "AlaZ." Mediaset España announced that the Dutch producer MC&F, which holds the rights to the show's iconic "El Rosco" round, is preparing to sue Atresmedia, the group that owns Antena 3. MC&F alleges that "AlaZ" reproduces too many elements of the historic letter-based challenge, calling the similarities "insurmountable."

This new dispute arises after a previous judicial scandal forced Antena 3 to remove "El Rosco" from "Pasapalabra." The Supreme Court of Spain had confirmed that "El Rosco" is an autonomous and protected work, distinct from the general "Pasapalabra" format. While the two were practically inseparable for viewers, they are owned by different entities: ITV controls the rights to the show itself, while MC&F owns the rights to the alphabet wheel that serves as its grand finale.

The ruling compelled Antena 3 to cease broadcasting "El Rosco" and remove it from all platforms and digital archives. Mediaset, having acquired the rights in advance, began developing a new contest around "El Rosco." Atresmedia, however, opted to keep "Pasapalabra" on the air and replaced the segment with "AlaZ," an adaptation of a Swiss public television format called "DallAZetA."

Atresmedia maintains that the modifications in "AlaZ" demonstrate it is a different game. The new competition features two main contestants facing alphabet-related definitions within a strict time limit. The letters now appear in a line at the bottom of the screen, replacing the circular format. Additionally, the player with the highest score can choose to answer from A to Z or in reverse, and can request clues in exchange for losing time. However, MC&F and Mediaset view these changes as superficial adjustments to a format they believe is essentially a copy.