×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
NEWS: TV Tokyo, Nihon Ad Terminate Yu-Gi-Oh! Deal, Sue 4Kids


Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
ConanSan



Joined: 13 Jun 2007
Posts: 1818
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:00 pm Reply with quote
I hope that Funimation wasn't involved in this case any further than being an unwitting accessory to 4Kids' embezeling. It's one thing for 4kids to go the way of the dodo because of this, it's quite the other if Funimation are found in to be in bad faith because of all of this.

Because I'd rather 4Kids' epitah to read "They died as they died, dead" and that for it all to say. Nothing about how Funimation's life was made harder.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
machetecat



Joined: 06 Jan 2010
Posts: 396
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:01 pm Reply with quote
So please tell me if I have this right:

1: 4Kids purchased the rights to Yu Gi Oh back in the day.

2: Sometime after acquiring the license, they made a deal with FUNimation that FUNi would distribute the DVDs.

3: FUNimation agrees to this deal, and they release the DVDs. In order to release the DVDs, though, they had to pay 4Kids $1.3 million in advance, as well as give 4Kids 20% in royalty fees and pay a service fee.

4: FUNi paid 4Kids the fees they promised, but 4Kids did not list some of it as income, so they didn't have to pay royalty fees on it.


If this is the case, I don't really understand how FUNimation would have any fault in the matter. 4Kids would have had the U.S. rights to the show, and it doesn't seem like allowing someone else to make the DVDs for them would have been an issue. It's not like FUNi would have had the ability to know what 4Kids was doing with the money, and it seems like these companies are pissed off at 4Kids for taking the money and keeping everything a secret.

FUNimation has also done DVD distribution for other titles like Degrassi and Little Nemo. I'm sure this type of thing was rather common for them, and Yu Gi Oh was a big title back in the day. I don't see why they wouldn't agree to something like this, even if 4Kids had a bit of a reputation with Pokemon.

I don't see how FUNi would have any problems from this suit, except maybe a couple of companies rolling their eyes at FUNi going "Really, guys? 4Kids?" and Funi being all "It was the early 2000's! We were young, we were excited, and Yu Gi Oh was cool back then!"
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
decepticons2



Joined: 22 Oct 2008
Posts: 56
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:01 pm Reply with quote
I wonder if this is more a way to free the license from 4kids. It pretty well seems there is no money to get. If they violated one thing would they get everything back?

Wouldn't the franchises be tied up in bankruptcy? This way if they are in violation they get them back ahead of any other legal problems. I am not sure how something like a tv show would work in bankruptcy. But actual items can be fought over for years.

Tvtokyo is invested in CR. Wouldn't be hard to put them all up. Also get what ever little cash is left in the card market.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dune



Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Posts: 223
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:05 pm Reply with quote
Should I assume that the anniversary movie might be cancelled, or is it too soon to speculate on that front?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Supermutant



Joined: 26 Sep 2009
Posts: 376
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:14 pm Reply with quote
I believe Funimation didn't. How could they unless they were working side by side money wise the whole time. It was dvd deal not there fault 4kids ripped people off. They released dvds of Turtles and Sonic X through them. If no one else knew even companies till audit was done what was funimation suppose to do?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sdsyukichan



Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 93
Location: Ontario, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:28 pm Reply with quote
Unless Funimation knew what 4Kids was doing, I doubt they're going to have anything to do with this.

Personally, I can't stand 4Kids and their mangled dubs (I was a 90's kid that grew up on Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing Wink ) and I'm glad to see them (most likely) go, but I do feel bad for the people in the company who had no idea this was going on, and had nothing to do with it. ):
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Nekusagi



Joined: 22 Jun 2009
Posts: 49
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:37 pm Reply with quote
RestlessOne wrote:
My problem with 4Kids was more that they never released uncut editions of their licenses, barring a few rare cases that quickly went out of print. I wont lie; Pokemon and YGO and such were for younger kids. The edits were, at times, excessive, but the kids liked it. I had no problem with those edited versions being shown on TV. The lack of uncensored releases was the real issue.


Agree 100%.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:39 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
…the companies conducted an audit…

From my experience with auditing, it is rare for these words to precede anything other than woeful news. It could be said that the best way to pass an audit is to avoid participation.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
firedragon54738



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 3113
Location: wisconsin
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:49 pm Reply with quote
Well it looks like 4kids dont have much left here with out yugioh there all most done for just hope funi dosnt get sued to
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
MrHatandClogs



Joined: 09 Nov 2010
Posts: 283
Location: Between two ferns!
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:51 pm Reply with quote
wandering-dreamer wrote:
I don't remember ever seeing YGO DVDs from them and that seems to be what they're implying here.


FUNi released, I believe, 2 boxsets of Yu Gi Oh! Uncut. But, sales were low and they terminated the project.
Oh, and I think they released the Capsule Monsters as well.

As to 4kids not dubbing/releasing Yu Gi Oh! anymore, I highly doubt it. Yu Gi Oh! is one of their biggest shows, and it said they could buy back into the rights if they met "customary agreements" or whatnot.

I'm sure it just means they won't be making as much money of Yu Gi Oh! as they're used to.

And, I'm sure FUNi has lost all their rights to it, and won't be attempt to reacquire them.

I just hope it doesn't hurt FUNi in anyway, but if it does, I guess it's their own fault. Unless, they weren't aware of the "secret" part of the deal?

They weren't too clear on that.


Last edited by MrHatandClogs on Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:51 pm Reply with quote
I find it a bit funny how Japanese companies can be so precious about royalties outside of their country and then brainwash the people who created and developed it in the first place that asking for royalties is like asking the emperor's daughter for a shag; just not done. Rolling Eyes If this don't split 4Kids in half and send it racing to the ocean floor, nothing will.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ermat_46



Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 721
Location: Philippines
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:56 pm Reply with quote
They've just delivered the finishing blow for 4kids.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:01 pm Reply with quote
firedragon54738 wrote:
Well it looks like 4kids don't have much left here with out yugioh there all most done for just hope funi dosnt get sued to


They probably have little recourse against Funimation, unless they can prove that they were aware of the fraud and had a duty to report it. It's fairly doubtful they can prove any wrongdoing on Funi's part, let alone that they were required to report it to TV Tokyo.

However, that doesn't mean that Funi won't have some fallout from this later on. It could affect future dealings with TV Tokyo and cause them grief in the long term. TV Tokyo may not deal as easily with them, or perhaps even refuse to license certain properties to them. At the very worst, they could do what Kadokowa did to ADV/Sentai and refuse to license any properties to them at all. That seems fairly unlikely at this point though.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
MrHatandClogs



Joined: 09 Nov 2010
Posts: 283
Location: Between two ferns!
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:03 pm Reply with quote
firedragon54738 wrote:
Well it looks like 4kids don't have much left here with out yugioh there all most done for just hope funi dosnt get sued to


They have the broadcasting rights to DBZ Kai, and I'm pretty sure Dinosaur King still does pretty good. But yea, if they loose YGO altogether, then they'll be pretty much screwed.

Wow, it's obviously official, I just checked their website.
They still have all the YGO stuff on their site and the links to videos are still there, but when you try to click the videos they say currently unavailable.

Ok, I guess not, now they are working. nvm


Last edited by MrHatandClogs on Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:10 pm; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Dagon123



Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Posts: 194
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:04 pm Reply with quote
wrote:
and it said they could buy back into the rights


Could, but almost guaranteed WON'T, lol. This is the Japanese anime industry were talking about here, if you do one thing they find shameless, you might as well start looking because you're not getting back on that boat again
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10  Next
Page 4 of 10

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group