“Hari” Kari
Perhaps the one of the oddest cases of Hollywood lawsuits of this time, particularly due to the confusion. Warner Bros is gonna sue somebody:
NEW DELHI -- Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Mumbai-based banner Mirchi Movies related to the title of its upcoming movie "Hari Puttar -- A Comedy of Terrors," which Warners feels is a tad too similar to its "Harry Potter" franchise.The case is being heard in the Bombay High Court and comes up for hearing Monday, while "Hari Puttar" is slated for a Sept. 12 release."We have recently commenced proceedings against parties involved in the production and distribution of a movie entitled 'Hari Puttar,' " London-based Warners spokeswoman Deborah Lincoln told The Hollywood Reporter. "Warner Bros. values and protects intellectual property rights. However, it is our policy not to discuss publicly the details of any ongoing litigation.”
As if nobody seeing the movie’s title for the first time wouldn’t think right off the bat that it’s a spin on Harry Potter. So what is the movie? Is it a direct rip-off or is it a spoof on Harry Potter? Guess what? It’s neither. To watch the trailer for the movie (in Hindi), click the link below and select the “Promos” link from there:
http://hariputtarthefilm.com/index.html
After watching that, I’d still say it’s a rip-off, but not to Harry Potter. In fact, it bears an awful lot of similarity to another family classic. The synopsis: a child is left behind at his house while his family goes off on vacation and ends up defending his house from two burglars who are trying to break in. Sound familiar? I’ll give you a hint:
NEW DELHI -- Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Mumbai-based banner Mirchi Movies related to the title of its upcoming movie "Hari Puttar -- A Comedy of Terrors," which Warners feels is a tad too similar to its "Harry Potter" franchise.The case is being heard in the Bombay High Court and comes up for hearing Monday, while "Hari Puttar" is slated for a Sept. 12 release."We have recently commenced proceedings against parties involved in the production and distribution of a movie entitled 'Hari Puttar,' " London-based Warners spokeswoman Deborah Lincoln told The Hollywood Reporter. "Warner Bros. values and protects intellectual property rights. However, it is our policy not to discuss publicly the details of any ongoing litigation.”
As if nobody seeing the movie’s title for the first time wouldn’t think right off the bat that it’s a spin on Harry Potter. So what is the movie? Is it a direct rip-off or is it a spoof on Harry Potter? Guess what? It’s neither. To watch the trailer for the movie (in Hindi), click the link below and select the “Promos” link from there:
http://hariputtarthefilm.com/index.html
After watching that, I’d still say it’s a rip-off, but not to Harry Potter. In fact, it bears an awful lot of similarity to another family classic. The synopsis: a child is left behind at his house while his family goes off on vacation and ends up defending his house from two burglars who are trying to break in. Sound familiar? I’ll give you a hint:
This case opens up a series of questions. If Warner Bros. can sue over a case of name similarity to a movie that has absolutely nothing to do with Harry Potter whatsoever, then what stopped them from suing Twentieth Century Fox over the usage of the character for satire in Epic Movie. I don’t recall them changing the character’s name at all for that one. And plus, doesn’t this mean Twentieth Century Fox can sue as well, along with every other company in history that produced a cheap knock-off of Home Alone? Because trust me, there’s a quite a list there.
posted by Jaimetud at 5:44 PM
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