TV Azteca, Telemundo Settle Lawsuits

MEXICO CITY/HIALEAH, December 20: TV Azteca and Telemundo
Network Group have settled “multiple pending lawsuits” following a dispute that
began in 2005.

“Intellectual property is the cornerstone of the television
business in any part of the world, and we see this agreement as a step forward
in the development of Spanish-language television in the United States and
Mexico,” said Mario San Roman, the CEO of TV Azteca, in announcing the
settlement.

The dispute between the two Spanish-language broadcasters
goes back to 2005, when TV Azteca filed a breach of contract suit against
producer Nostromo and personality Alan Tacher, who had just begun work on a new
reality series for Telemundo, Quinceañera.
TV Azteca subsequently shut down production of the series at the Foros Ajusco
studio in a move that Telemundo called an “unjustified use of force and
intimidation.” According to Telemundo, a TV Azteca contingent composed of
cameramen, reporters, lawyers and private security guards, accompanied by a
court clerk and members of Mexico City’s police, broke into the studios and
shut down the production “by force and intimidation.”

Azteca responded at the time, noting: “The process, a common
practice in both U.S. and Mexico, was conducted in a peaceful manner by the
public authorities and in the presence of legal teams representing Nostromo,
Foros Ajusco and TV Azteca.”

TV Azteca also said at the time: “The company reiterates
that its decision to demand contract fulfillment from Mr. Tacher and Nostromo
is well within its legal rights and includes an obligation to protect its
intellectual property and other rights.”

Under the agreement, neither party admits any liability for
asserted claims in prior litigation and both parties acknowledge each other’s
contractual rights.

—By Mansha Daswani