Ghost Rider Creator Sues... Well, Everyone
Gary Friedrich, the man who created Marvel Comics' popular character Ghost Rider was apparently so pissed about the crappy nature of Nicholas Cage's awful movie and the piss-poor licensed video game that he's filed a lawsuit against just about everyone involved: Marvel Comics, Sony Pictures, Columbia Tristar, Relativity Media, Crystal Sky Pictures, Hasbro Toys, Michael De Luca Productions and Take-Two Interactive... they're all there!
Friedrich alleges that the companies engaged in a "joint venture and conspiracy to exploit, profit from and utilize" his copyrights to the Ghost Rider character. The suit filed in federal court in Illinois claims 21 violations based on the production and marketing of the recent Ghost Rider movie (estimated to have grossed nearly $215 million) starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes. Friedrich said that the copyrights used in the film and in related products (such as Take-Two's video game) reverted from Marvel to him in 2001.
Admittedly, I can totally understand why he's so pissed. It sucks to realize that your artistic creations have been perverted and warped by people who had no right to use them; that "film" was one of the worst I'd seen in recent memory (though, admittedly, I thought Johnny Blaze was likable enough until he turned into Nicholas Cage) and the game didn't look like it was much better. Somehow, though, I suspect this will get settled out of court and I won't get to watch the lawyers' shenanigans while munching on popcorn.
Ghost Rider Creator Sues Sony, Marvel, Take-Two & Others [Games Industry.biz]
[via Kotaku]
Boy of Tomorrow
Posted to Miscellany, Movies-DVDs, Video Games on 10 April 2007
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: copyright, ghost rider, lawsuit, marvel comics, sony, take two
To be totally fair, If created a character as bad ass as Ghost Rider and then it got nerfed to hell.
I'd rev up the Killdozer.
I don't understand, how come this lawsuit comes only now. I'm pretty sure the movie was advertised/talked about long before it came out...
Is the artist some sort of hermit living under a rock? Or is this news just delayed?