An Australian comedian has been forced to cancel her show inspired by Paris 2024 breaker Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, after the Olympian’s team issued legal threats.
Raygun: The Musical was due to debut at Kinselas in Sydney’s Darlinghurst on Saturday evening, before performances scheduled at comedy festivals in Sydney, Melbourne and Edinburgh in 2025.
Stephanie Broadbridge has cancelled her show Raygun: The Musical, due to be performed in Sydney on Saturday. Credit: Steven Siewert
But comedian Steph Broadbridge canned Saturday’s performance after Gunn’s lawyers sent several letters to the show’s promoter, iD Comedy Club, asking them to cancel the show and not use the name “Raygun” or use the athlete’s now famous “kangaroo dance”, as both were Gunn’s intellectual property.
Gunn applied to trademark “RAYGUN” in August. The application remains under examination, however, the government agency which issues trademarks published an “adverse report” in October functionally knocking back the claim.
Gunn does, however, have a trademark on a silhouette image of her performing the kangaroo dance, which was accepted on November 15 and is awaiting publication. This trademark was filed on September 25, the same day Broadbridge first promoted her musical on Instagram.
Rachael Gunn’s kangaroo dance silhouette has been accepted as a trademark. Credit: IP Australia
In a statement, Gunn’s management, Born Bred Talent, said it was “committed to protecting her intellectual property and ensuring that her brand remains strong and respected” and anticipated the trademarks would soon be registered.
“In addition to the application, Rachael holds significant common law rights and goodwill in her stage name ‘Raygun’, further strengthening her position,” they said.
Billed as “a parody exploration of a breakdancer’s journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics”, Raygun: The Musical followed the story of Rachael Gunn, the Sydney academic whose quirky performance representing Australia in breakdancing was one of the most viral moments from the Games.
