The only thing scarier than Mechagodzilla? A Mechagodzilla lawsuit.
Toho Co., Ltd., a Japanese entertainment company, recently filed a lawsuit against New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing Company, claiming that the brewer’s “Mechahopzilla” beer violates Toho’s copyrights for Mechagodzilla, the mechanized enemy of Godzilla, according to Law 360.
The lawsuit claims that the brewery, which uses packaging and advertising with the image of Mechagodzilla, unlawfully attempted to take advantage of the popularity and public recognition of Toho’s fictional characters. The lawsuit also claims that the brewery didn’t obtain permission or pay a fee to Toho for use of the intellectual property and that Toho demanded the brewery to stop its use of the property, but the brewery refused.
“It was Toho’s preference to resolve this matter without a lawsuit, but unfortunately, defendant’s cavalier and intentional disregard for Toho’s intellectual property made legal action necessary,” Aaron J. Moss of Greenberg Glusker LLP said to Law 360.
Toho created Godzilla in 1954 and then introduced Mechagodzilla in the 1974 film titled “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla,” the 14th film in the Godzilla series. Mechagodzilla is Godzilla’s mechanical doppelganger: a large, two-footed reptilian creature with a powerful tail and a robot-like appearance, according to Law 360.