Video Game Maker Sued By Lawyer/Necromancer For Featuring General Patton In-Game
from the in-case-of-doubt,-attack dept
We live in a strange world, folks. How else can one describe an era in which intellectual property has morphed into a form of publicity rights necromancy, in which dead celebrities haunt the living to the tune of lots of dollars? First it was the CMG Worldwide's quest against Twitter on behalf of James Dean. Now CMG has shaken its summoner's staff in the direction of Maximum Games, siccing none other than General George S. Patton (zombie) on them.
An upcoming strategy game, called Legends of War: Patton, has been sued by a firm representing estate of the deceased General, a company that as Gamasutra reports also polices the use of other historical figures such as James Dean, Marilyn Monroe; Marlon Brando, Chuck Berry and Amelia Earhart.Whereas General Patton has been dead a mere 69 years, which makes all the difference in this stupid, idiotic world. And if you somehow think that I'm being unfair in calling this world a stupid place, please understand that the estate of George Patton, who has been dead for just shy of seven decades, is suing the video game maker claiming false endorsement. Yes, the use in a game of a historical figure who died roughly just as the computer was being invented, has been construed to potentially confuse people into thinking that Patton was endorsing the product personally, from the grave.
You'd think that long-dead figures from popular history would be fair game, but it turns out there are limits that vary from state-to-state. Maximum Games, who are releasing (or trying to release) LoW: Patton, are based in California, where the law says such figures are fair game if they've been dead for 70 years.
Which brings us directly back to how the CMG Worldwide lawyers are necromancers. After all, the lawsuit only makes a general kind of sense assuming that George Patton could somehow come back from the dead and endorse a product for real, thus this use breeding the confusion. CMG obviously vetted the suit, which means they too believe that zombies are real. The only logical reason for them to think so would be if they could animate zombies themselves. And that's necromancy, case freaking closed.
Or else publicity rights are stupid. It's definitely one of the two...
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Filed Under: false endorsement, george patton, legends of war, publicity rights, video games
Companies: cmg worldwide
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For once, a delay could be a good thing
Maybe slap a sticker or advertisement on it, 'Endorsed by General Patton himself!' just to rub it in.
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No need to delay
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Re: No need to delay
That still wouldn't address the ridiculousness of having to negotiate with the estate of a decades-dead historical figure in order to recreate historical events in the first place.
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Imagine if right now people were able to use Robin Williams to advertise something he wasn't involved in.
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Re: Re:
But that's just a matter of taste. Such advertisements would be offensive and/or annoying to lots of people, but would they cause any harm to Mr. Williams?
I also think there's a big difference between using someone in an advertisement and using someone as a character in a game or other work of art. In an advertisement, the implication is that the person would have actively supported the product/service/whatever.
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Elvis Presley: the next Mickey Mouse?
One big obstacle, though -- that 70 year limit. Does this mean that after the year 2047, the Elvis Presley estate will finally lose its cash cow (and be forced to stop suing people) ... or is it more likely that the 70 year limit on dead people IP will likely get extended, copyright style, as 2047 approaches?
I think we all know the answer to that question.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2510602/Elvis-Presleys-intellectual-property-rights -sold-undisclosed-sum.html
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CMG Worldwide must have found their incontrovertible proof ...
CMG Lawyer: Gentlemen, I give you "Zombie Patton".
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Historian of the future.
Lawyers, as we write, are preparing suits against historians of the future for merely mentioning the existence of Earth and its long dead inhabitants.
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Rumors
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On a side note, unless General Patton himself is some sort of pharaoh or great necromancer it takes a whole new level of arcane to hear his skeleton talk after it was revived to endorse the thing.
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Public figures?
C'mon, I used to live a 5-minute walk from where he had his fatal car accident. You're telling me that his estate could actually prevent some WWII game starring him? Insane.
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Re: Public figures?
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Signed,
Average American
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