Warner Bros sues over 'Harry Potter condoms'
edonline
Warner Bros sues over 'Harry Potter condoms'
Studio stands up against Swiss manufacturer of 'Harry Popper' condoms
for copyright infringement
Xan Brooks
guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 August 2010 14.03 BST
It's the boy wizard as you've never seen him before. He has the
trademark round spectacles and the regulation magic wand. But his
tongue is extended in a lascivious manner and his thoughts are purely
carnal. For good measure, he is in the guise of a pink, pimpled
prophylactic.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone is amused. Warner Bros this week sued the
Swiss manufacturer of the "Harry Popper" condoms for copyright
infringement. "The image of my client is in danger," a studio lawyer
complained to the Swiss newspaper Bote. "This is clearly a reference
to the film and fictional character of Harry Potter. Everyone who sees
the condoms automatically thinks of Harry Potter." The Harry Popper
condoms have reportedly been on sale since 2006.
The Harry Potter brand is worth an estimated £15bn and lawyers for
both Warner Bros and author JK Rowling have earned a reputation for
protecting their product. In 2008, the studio launched a similar
lawsuit against a Hindi-language Bollywood production, Hari Puttar: A
Comedy of Terrors. The suit was eventually thrown out by an Indian
court.
For the time being, condom manufacturers Magic X are standing firm.
"Our product has nothing to do with Harry Potter," claimed a
spokesperson for the company.
edonline
wrote:
>x-no-archive: yes
>
>Harry Popper Rubbers: http://spicezee.zeenews.com/articles/story69111.htm
Suggested slogan: "Make your wand magic... with Harry Popper Rubbers"