On 6 January 2016, Cairo Court of Appeal annulled an EGP 100 million award against the famous satirist Bassem Youssef and his TV show production company Q-Soft, thereby giving both of them a new lease of life (Cairo Court of Appeal, 7th Circuit - Commercial - 6 January 2016 - Lawsuits No 11,12,14 of Judicial Year 13). This article reports on the decision and its implications. Prior to joining Al Tamimi and Co., the author of this article was part of Q-Soft's legal team before the Egyptian courts.  

Background 

The dispute arose out of a contract dated 25 July 2012, whereby Q-Soft licensed Capital Broadcasting Center (“CBC”) to exclusively screen episodes of Bassem Youssef's satirical show starting from 11 November 2012 for the duration of pre-determined screening seasons.