Is a television format protected by copyright?

Broadcasting organizations are protected as holders of related rights under the International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations (Rome Convention).

Broadcast content as such, as opposed to broadcast signals, can also be protected by copyright and related rights, depending on the national legislation.

Television formats, however, have not been discussed at WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) as subject of a separate international protection.