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NEWS: Sanrio Ordered to Stop Making Kathy Items in 3 Nations


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Chrno2



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 6171
Location: USA
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:40 am Reply with quote
Man that's pretty bad. Miffy has been around that long?
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TsubomiKoneko



Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 247
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:59 am Reply with quote
Confused I guess it never occurred to them that any simply drawn human-like rabbit would end up looking like that.

Eh whatever.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 10:24 am Reply with quote
"When Mercis' lawsuit became public last month, Sanrio's publicity deparment said that it thought that Kathy did not resemble Miffy. "

Because it DOESN'T. If you can't tell the two apart, you are either blind or stupid. I mean, yeah... they are both rabbits... but what the hell? You can't draw a cartoon rabbit anymore? Copyrights have to die.
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kyokun703



Joined: 06 Jan 2005
Posts: 2505
Location: Orgrimmar
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 11:01 am Reply with quote
It probably wouldn't have been so bad if they gave Kathy a different outfit. The Peter Pan collared one piece dress kind of just emphasizes the sameness.
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Meijiatron



Joined: 27 Oct 2010
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 11:21 am Reply with quote
It doesn't help that the style of Hello Kitty is already similar to Miffy, so making a rabbit that looks similar to Hello Kitty is just asking to look exactly like Miffy. They should have made her brown or black, like Chococat.
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PingSoni
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Joined: 05 Dec 2008
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Location: Lansing MI
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 11:26 am Reply with quote
The Sanrio character designs are based on using a minimum number of lines to depict a unique identity. (If I counted correctly, Kathy uses 17 lines and Miffy uses 15.) Within that framework, how different can two anthropomorphic rabbit characters be?

I guess everyone can't just be friends in the real world.
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The Xenos



Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 1519
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 11:44 am Reply with quote
Usually I'd be against the bigger company ripping off the lesser known one, but this is pretty ridiculous. I really can't stand the majority of vast Sanrio output, but I have to confess this suit is pretty baseless. They just have very simplified cartoon styles and are drawing anthropomorphic rabbits. And considering she's a side character among more popular ones in the same style, I really don't see the issue.

There are a ton more blatant knock off characters I've seen and supported in other cases.
DmonHiro wrote:
If you can't tell the two apart, you are either blind or stupid. I mean, yeah... they are both rabbits... but what the hell? You can't draw a cartoon rabbit anymore? Copyrights have to die.
Way to over simplify. Copyright is a very important and needed part of artists and, yes, even companies being able to create. It's when companies use copyright bluntly and frivolously like this when it gets ridiculous and damages the playing field for everyone. Plus when copyright is extened

You go and try to create something, try making a living off of your artwork and see how fast you realize copyright is like air you need to breathe.
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hikaru004



Joined: 15 Mar 2004
Posts: 2306
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 11:52 am Reply with quote
And it took them how long to think that Kathy resembled Miffy to decide to go to court? Come on, it's anthropomorphic white female rabbit. It's really not that similar.

Sounds to me like somebody just wanted some extra income.

So when does Miffy's copyright expire?
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WhosAsking



Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 79
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 12:40 pm Reply with quote
hikaru004 wrote:
And it took them how long to think that Kathy resembled Miffy to decide to go to court? Come on, it's anthropomorphic white female rabbit. It's really not that similar.

Sounds to me like somebody just wanted some extra income.

So when does Miffy's copyright expire?
Well, according to the article itself, Miffy creator Dick Bruna is still alive. Going by the typical rule about copyrights held by individuals, the copyright clock doesn't start running until he dies.
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Seca



Joined: 04 Aug 2003
Posts: 149
Location: WA
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 12:48 pm Reply with quote
I honestly can't believe that this could not be a case of coincidence with how similar the two characters are. I mean if you replace Kathy's rabbit ears with cat ears you pretty much have Hello Kitty.

Though I don't see what is stopping an agreement with Sanrio to change the clothes that Kathy is wearing to look less like Miffy's and settling things that way.
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Sunday Silence



Joined: 22 Jun 2010
Posts: 2047
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 1:15 pm Reply with quote
Wait, it was decided in an Amsterdam Court, which would cover Holland, yet the ruling applies to three different countries?

WTF?? I could see if it was applied only to Holland or the entire EU, but three countries?
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Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1600
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 1:51 pm Reply with quote
Sunday Silence wrote:
Wait, it was decided in an Amsterdam Court, which would cover Holland, yet the ruling applies to three different countries?

WTF?? I could see if it was applied only to Holland or the entire EU, but three countries?


Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) is a sort of mini economic and political union whose members are also members of the European Union. It has some legal powers that cover all three countries, including copyright decisions.
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Zahooee
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Joined: 23 Aug 2007
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 3:52 pm Reply with quote
Wow, so any simply-drawn rabbit is a rip-off of Miffy? Someone better warn Matt Groening.

They'll probably be going after Binky next...
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khaos1019



Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 93
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 4:08 pm Reply with quote
The Xenos wrote:

DmonHiro wrote:
If you can't tell the two apart, you are either blind or stupid. I mean, yeah... they are both rabbits... but what the hell? You can't draw a cartoon rabbit anymore? Copyrights have to die.
Way to over simplify. Copyright is a very important and needed part of artists and, yes, even companies being able to create. It's when companies use copyright bluntly and frivolously like this when it gets ridiculous and damages the playing field for everyone. Plus when copyright is extened

You go and try to create something, try making a living off of your artwork and see how fast you realize copyright is like air you need to breathe.


Well said. Copyright is definitely necessary. In this case, though, I really don't see how this ruling was passed. As has been said before, how many different ways can you really draw a simplified, anthropomorphic rabbit?
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Sunday Silence



Joined: 22 Jun 2010
Posts: 2047
PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 4:39 pm Reply with quote
Moomintroll wrote:
Sunday Silence wrote:
Wait, it was decided in an Amsterdam Court, which would cover Holland, yet the ruling applies to three different countries?

WTF?? I could see if it was applied only to Holland or the entire EU, but three countries?


Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) is a sort of mini economic and political union whose members are also members of the European Union. It has some legal powers that cover all three countries, including copyright decisions.


Thought you said Cargolux there.
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