Board Thread:Inclusion debates/@comment-183721-20140901212040/@comment-188432-20140904014708

The BBC can split up their license however they want. If they want to say that an entity has the right to publish only a single story featuring the Third Doctor, with no companions, without Bessie, and not set on Earth, they can be that specific. If they want to say that an entity has a right to publish American comic books using the Tenth Doctor for sale only in North America, they can do that, too. If they want to say that an entity has the right to publish comic strips involving the Eleventh Doctor for a certain age range in the UK, that can happen, too.

When you win a license from the BBC, you have to adhere to the specific terms of the license.

In this instance, the license that Big Finish hold allows them to only use the first eight Doctors. It's a fact that's become well-known because they've repeated it publicly in many public venues on many occasions.

So rule two clearly applies because the BBC didn't commercially license Big Finish to make stories with the BBC Wales Doctors.