Director regrets copyright row

Pam Brighton "regrets" case going to court

Belfast theatre director Pam Brighton has said she regrets that a dispute over the ownership of a hit play was not resolved before taking the case to court.

Ms Brighton is claiming joint copyright ownership of the play Stones in his Pockets, which until now has been known as the sole work of award winning playwright Marie Jones.

The production is currently playing in the West End and went on to become a worldwide success.

The case, set to last up to five days, centres around two versions of the play, in 1996 and 1999.

The action began at the High Court in London on Wednesday when Mr Justice Park announced his intention to try to see the play next week.

Speaking on her way into the court, Ms Brighton said she was sorry things had come to this and regretted that the matter had not been settled in a less acrimonious and costly way.

It is understood Ms Brighton, who directed the first production in west Belfast, claims she contributed a great deal to the ideas and script of the play.

She said she hoped to prove co-ownership of the play and was not interested in making money.

Mr Justice Park said he was "pleased" to hear that the play was still running and said he would see "if I can go next week".

There was laughter in court as Keith Garnett QC, for Ms Brighton, joked that if the judge did see the play "one or other party would benefit from the royalties of your lordship's visit".

Stones in his Pockets was originally produced by the DubbelJoint Theatre Company in 1996.

Damages offered

Three years later, Marie Jones' husband, Ian McElhinney, directed what they say was a substantially rewritten version of the play.

Since its initial run in Belfast, it has been produced all over the world and won a major London award.

In a statement, Ms Jones said her contract for the earlier production enshrined her ownership of the play's copyright.

She said she was defending the claim to protect other writers from similar claims.

Ms Brighton is claiming damages or an account of profits for alleged infringement of copyright and an injunction requiring her to be credited as joint author of the play.

A royalties payment to DubbelJoint of £29,684.89 has been made and an undertaking by Ms Jones has been offered to ensure the company is properly credited.

However, DubbelJoint is still seeking an account of royalties due and an inquiry as to damages in relation to Ms Jones's "failure to ensure a proper credit for DubbelJoint".

The judge heard that Ms Jones denied that DubbelJoint had suffered any loss and had offered it £1 in damages.