Take-Two named in Ghost Rider lawsuit News • News • Eurogamer.net

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Creator is very cross.

Gary Friedrich, creator of the Ghost Rider comic book, has filed suit against Take-Two and other companies involved with developing the recent movie tie-in and related products, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

The Ghost Rider film, which stars Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes, was released in February. Take-Two published the videogame under the 2K Games label around the same time on GBA, PS2 and PSP. Also named in the suit are Sony Pictures, Marvel Enterprises, Columbia TriStar, Hasbro, Relativity Media, Crystal Sky Pictures and Michael De Luca Productions.

Friedrich is accusing the companies of embarking on a "joint venture and conspiracy to exploit, profit from and utilise" the Ghost Rider copyright, according to Reuters.

The suit claims that this included, but was not limited to, the use of the character "in movie theatre presentations and promotions, commercials, action figure toys, videogames, clothing and novels". There are 21 alleged violations in total.

Friedrich is seeking unspecified damages for alleged copyright infringement, violations of competition laws, negligence, waste, misuse and unauthorised use of characters, "tortuous interference with prospective business expectancy" and false advertising.

GamesIndustry.biz is the UK's leading website about how much money everyone makes off of games and what colour the boxes are and all that jazz.

About Ghost Rider
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- Release date 23/02/2007
- Publisher Take-Two Interactive
- Developer Climax
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Comments (8) Latest comment 5 years ago

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Goodfella #1 5 years ago

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Zzzzzzzzzz
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kissthestick #2 5 years ago

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Take 2 need a vacation, i suggest puerto rico
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mr-retail #3 5 years ago

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[link url=htt p://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6472467.stm
]http://ne ws.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/64...[/link]
while we are on the subject, did everyone see this.
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DanWhitehead #4 5 years ago

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Good luck with that. Marv Wolfman tried the same thing when Blade got the movie treatment.

But, unless someone has made a major legal fumble, Ghost Rider is owned by Marvel, not by Gary Friedrich. Like all major comics publishers, Marvel operates on a work-for-hire basis and any characters created while working under that agreement belong to the company, not the creator. It's the same for any freelancer, in pretty much any field. If you want the security of regular work, you compromise on ownership.

It sucks from the writer's point of view, but that's how the industry worked back then and - by and large - it's how the industry works now.

Also, Ghost Rider is poo.
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asphaltcowboy #5 5 years ago

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/has a hard time comprehending what he's on about...

So, he's the creator and didn't make any money off it? Did he sell the rights to Marvel?

EDIT: Ok, I think I get it... Well... meh

Edited by 1 at 11/04/07 @ 11:11
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FunkyRenegade #6 5 years ago

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"The only person who needs a lawsuit against them for presenting Ghost Rider in a bad way is Nicolas Cage."
Amen to that.
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Moz #7 5 years ago

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I love the way these court cases always seem to spring up after the film/game/hardware are released. Like the suposed "copy-write" owner didn't know about it until it was released!

Do these people live in caves in the middle of no wear! I dout it, it's just people seeing a slim chance of getting some money.

Another recent example of this was the case taken against the Wii-mote
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asphaltcowboy #8 5 years ago

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"Do these people live in caves in the middle of no wear!"

No Wear?! That sounds like my kinda town!
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