⚖️ ITV sues Nelk Boys over Nelk Island, alleging brand theft

Love Island's bosses have taken a YouTube channel to court. The Sun first reported on Nov 10, at 6:30 AM ET, that ITV has launched legal action in California against the team behind Nelk Island, a show from the Nelk Boys that ITV calls a copycat. The paper says the claims are "trademark infringement and brand theft".

Who says what

According to The Sun, ITV says Nelk Island nicked ideas for a "low-quality knock-off". The paper's headline also carries the words "crude" and "offensive" for the show. Those are the paper's framing of ITV's complaint. The Sun does not give a filing date or a case number in the text read.

The Sun reports that Nelk's YouTube channel has 8.4million subscribers. It says the channel recruited ex-Love Island USA contestant George Vining and picked up five million views in 12 days for its first episode.

ITV also points to one scene. The Sun reports that a contestant let his turban slip on camera, and that ITV said the incident caused widespread offence among Sikhs. ITV says one social media user wrongly blamed the real Love Island. The Sun reports that Forgeard allegedly joked about the moment; that claim rests on The Sun alone, and the joke is not repeated here.

The response

The Sun says ITV demanded that the team behind Nelk stop. Founder Kyle Forgeard answered online, as quoted by the paper:

"Do not touch our YouTube video. If you do, it is f*** war."

Kyle Forgeard, quoted by The Sun

The Sun adds that those named in the lawsuit have yet to respond in court. No other public response from the Nelk Boys was found in the reports read.

What happens next

The Sun gives no hearing date, deadline or next filing. What the court is asked to order, and whether Nelk will pull or defend the video, is not stated in the report read.

Backstory

ITV's flagship dating format has had a busy autumn. Our earlier file on the franchise: "📺 Maya Jama quits Love Island; Mail cites sponsor email naming her", and its follow-up, "📺 Maya Jama quits Love Island; alleged sponsor email named her". That story was about the host. This one is about the brand, and who gets to use it.

As of Nov 11, 4:35 AM ET, the confirmed part is narrow: The Sun reports ITV has launched legal action in California alleging trademark infringement and brand theft over Nelk Island. The Nelk Boys have yet to respond in court, per the paper. Still pending: the filing itself, any court dates, and any formal reply. MissDrama will be watching the docket, and the group's YouTube comments.