Godzilla might be currently in retirement, but his lawyers are still fiercely active.<\/p>\n
Wired<\/em> has posted a scary article on Godzilla copyright owner, Toho’s efforts to protect their intellectual property. They and their lawyers have been\u00a0 extremely active and vigilant, it seems.<\/p>\n Warner Bros., for example, didn’t know it needed Toho’s permission to use Godzilla in a 1985 chase scene in Tim Burton’s Pee Wee’s Big Adventure<\/em>. The Hollywood studio paid an undisclosed amount to Toho after it was sued.<\/p>\n The U.S. division of Honda Motor suffered a similar fate for displaying a Godzilla float in the Rose Parade, and paid an undisclosed amount to settle a 1991 lawsuit.<\/p>\n “I don’t know if it even occurred to them that the character was protected,” says Charles Shephard, a Los Angeles attorney for Toho, whose office is adorned with a poster that says,”If you thought Godzilla was scary, wait until you meet his lawyers.”<\/p>\n Shephard speculates, “If they used Star Wars<\/em> or Simpsons<\/em> characters, I guarantee you they would have sought permission. It’s surprising how much this character is misused in a variety of contexts, especially by major advertisers.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Image-wise, what is this Godzilla that they are protecting? And how is he different from, say, a T-Rex?<\/p>\n “He’s erect-standing. He’s got muscular arms, scaly skin and spines on back and tail and he breathes fire and has a furrowed brow,” [Godzilla attourney, Aaron] Moss says, repeating arguments Toho often makes in its lawsuits. “He’s got an anthropomorphic torso. The T. rex<\/em> has emaciated bird-like arms and stands at a 45-degree angle.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The message is, don’t mess with the King of the Monsters!<\/p>\n Read the full article<\/a>.<\/p>\n Godzilla might be currently in retirement, but his lawyers are still fiercely active. Wired has posted a scary article on Godzilla copyright owner, Toho’s efforts to protect their intellectual property. They and their lawyers have been\u00a0 extremely active and vigilant, … Continue reading \n