Interest

Site Sued for Power Rangers Halloween Costumes

SCG Power Rangers LLC, Saban Capital Group's managing company for the Power Ranger franchise, filed a lawsuit on October 13 against Underdog Endeavors for selling Power Ranger Halloween costumes on its MyPartyShirt.com website. SCG Power Rangers alleges that the site infringe on its copyrights and trademarks and has ignored its cease-and-desist letters.

MyPartyShirt.com sells a "Red Ranger Power Rangers Muscle Costume" and a "Pink Ranger Power Rangers Women's Costume", and it says that both are licensed costumes. However, it also sells a "Pink Power Ranger Sexy Women's Costume" (pictured right) without claiming that it is licensed. This costume's page uses photographs and a YouTube video from the first Power Rangers series along with the following sales pitch: "Did you want to be the Pink Power Ranger growing up? Now you can be."

The Hollywood Reporter entertainment trade news source notes that the United States Copyright Act does not allow a "useful article" such as clothing to be copyrighted, but it does allow "pictorial, graphic, or sculptural" elements to be copyrighted.

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Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter