Disney is threatening to sue Brightspark Productions, a UK-based company over the similarities of their DVD covers with corresponding Disney movies.
Disney started investigating this issue in August in a story run by UK's Daily Record.
Disney’s lawyers have started an investigation after US studio bosses were alerted to the film. They are angry that the title is so similar to their summer money-spinner and also believe Braver’s artwork may mislead consumers into believing the movie is connected to their own Highland tale about Princess Merida.
A Disney source said: “We’re surprised that supermarkets have agreed to put this film on their shelves because the people behind it haven’t exactly been subtle.The title and lettering on the cover are almost identical to Brave and there’s even a red-haired princess wearing a green dress."
Brightspark was set up in 1997 by ex-BBC man Jeremy Davis, 44. His wife Jackie, 34, is also a director of the firm. Last night Jeremy denied that he had ripped-off Brave and insisted consumers wouldn’t get the films mixed-up.
He said: “Braver is an item for families on a budget and I very much doubt that anyone would confuse our production with the wonderful work of Disney. All we’ve tried to do is give parents something their children will hopefully find entertaining. We came up with our title around 18 months ago and if we thought consumers would mistake our film for Brave, we would have renamed it."
A spokeswoman for Disney said: “I can confirm that our legal team are looking into this. Disney seeks to protect their intellectual property rights and takes suspected infringement seriously.”
"People place great trust in the quality and creativity of Disney and, when it appears that another company is causing confusion, we will act to protect ourselves and the consumer. Disney believes that Brightspark has demonstrated a pattern of misleading consumers with numerous releases that confuse and undermine the trust those consumers have in Disney," Disney's European senior vice-president Peter Wiley said.
Brightspark Productions responded with: "We are currently talking to Disney to find a mutually acceptable resolution".
Last edited by Sotiris on Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:09 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Brightspark Productions is obviously lying when they say "We came up with our title around 18 months ago and if we thought consumers would mistake our film for Brave, we would have renamed it" as the movie has been released years ago with a different title and a more suitable cover. Braver is simply a re-packaged, re-titled DVD of this movie:
Finally they really need to sue these companies because they are not even trying to disguise themselves as blatant knock offs.I mean in the 90's they at least were a little orginal but these days its just blatant cash in to fool parents into buying that movie.
I'm siding with Disney too on this one. I seriously doubt that Braver was not in any way, shape or form trying to copy Brave and steal away some of its thunder.
And that's why I don't pay attention to animated features that acts like the Asylum, where they rip blockbuster movies and release it straight-to-video prior to the real movie's release.
atlanticaunderthesea wrote:I'm not sure why these other companies even bother to produce these travesties?! Surely they know they will end up being caught?
Well, they have gotten away with it so far. And I imagine they do get quite a bit of money out of this from the deception and I doubt the production cost is anything significant.
Mickeyfan1990 wrote:Glad Disney is suing! It might finally bring an end to these terrible CGI ripoffs.
Woah, woah, let's not get carried away. After all, another ripoff company, The Asylum was sued twice by two humongous movie studios, 20th Century Fox and Universal, and yet The Asylum still makes movies.
Mickeyfan1990 wrote:Glad Disney is suing! It might finally bring an end to these terrible CGI ripoffs.
Woah, woah, let's not get carried away. After all, another ripoff company, The Asylum was sued twice by two humongous movie studios, 20th Century Fox and Universal, and yet The Asylum still makes movies.
But, really, I can't say I'm sympathetic for these rip-offs and their creators at all. Although I know there are lines made that keep Disney from suing every rip-off out there (usually for good reason, with the rip-offs as a negative consequence), Brave was an original creation as far as I know. They can't even claim to have taken their story from the same fairy tale as a fake defense, like with the Disney knock-offs from over the years.
Listening to most often lately:
Taylor Swift ~ ~ "The Fate of Ophelia"
Taylor Swift ~ "Eldest Daughter"
Taylor Swift ~ "CANCELLED!"
