BeerBorg

http://nola.eater.com/archives/2013/09/ ... pzilla.php

I didn't even know there was a Mechagodzilla



NEW ORLEANS – The Japanese company that produced the classic series of "Godzilla" movies has sued a New Orleans brewery, claiming the MechaHopzilla beer brand infringes on its copyrights and trademarks.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans by Toho Co. Ltd. It includes photographs of the Mechagodzilla character Toho introduced in 1974 and a beer can produced by New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing Co. LLC, known as NOLA Brewing.

The lawsuit says NOLA Brewing did not get permission from or pay Toho to use the trademarked character.

Brewery president and CEO Kirk Coco says his company applied for a trademark when the beer went on sale last year.

He says he hadn't heard of Toho until the company filed papers opposing the proposed MechaHopzilla trademark.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/10/no ... z2eXIxwvzo

Oh, for Pete's sake. You'd think that Toho would be flattered and enjoy the publicity. It's not as if kids nowadays see those movies. The name is a nostalgia thing for us old farts who grew up watching those films. What on Earth is the harm? If anything it might inspire interest in a dead enterprise for Toho.

I dunno, I have to go with Toho on this one. The name is clearly based on the character as is the logo/label.

I can see where they want to protect their rights, especially with a Godzilla movie coming in next year (according to the article).

So I should keep my beers in case they change the name/label/logo and they might be worth something in the future????????

Don't get me wrong, I do agree that Toho has a legitimate case. I just think that it's somewhat silly of them to pursue it, unless of course they were thinking of marketing the name for some sort of beverage themselves.

Beer-lord wrote:So I should keep my beers in case they change the name/label/logo and they might be worth something in the future????????

Nope....drink away my friend!

Like I need another reason to drink.

Beer-lord wrote:Like I need another reason to drink.

It's Tuesday.

obama's in office

Is it sad that I actually remember the release of and going to see this film when I was a kid?

Basic business. The fact that they we're dumb enough to apply for a trademark shows they have no idea how things work. They are going to pay a lot of money.

oly wrote:Don't get me wrong, I do agree that Toho has a legitimate case. I just think that it's somewhat silly of them to pursue it, unless of course they were thinking of marketing the name for some sort of beverage themselves.

Possibly they want to keep that option open. It is, after all, their name.

Gymrat wrote:

oly wrote:Don't get me wrong, I do agree that Toho has a legitimate case. I just think that it's somewhat silly of them to pursue it, unless of course they were thinking of marketing the name for some sort of beverage themselves.

Possibly they want to keep that option open. It is, after all, their name.

Hey, throw me a life raft here, you guys are drowning me with common sense.

This is interesting. I think if the can didn't look so much like Mechagodzilla it wouldn't have been such an issue. The applying for licensing and getting a lawsuit instead is quite the development. IMHO this could just be another example of big companies trying to keep down the microbrewers. At least it's not In-Bev this time.

Had they applied for licensing they'd know whether they could or could not do this. Applying for a trademark so close to the other was the mistake they made. They can be required to give up all profits they made.