Macross: Tatsunoko or Big West?

[Robotech_Master]

I was researching the issue of the international Macross rights on
Google News recently, and I haven't seen any real discussion of it
more recent than about 2003. So I was just wondering...have any
conclusions been reached, via lawsuits or other means, since then
about who exactly owns what?

Does Harmony Gold indeed have the international (non-Japan)
distribution rights to Macross and everything derived from Macross,
including DYRL, II, Plus, Seven, and Zero, and all toys and other
tie-in merchandise from same? Did Tatsunoko (now part of Takara, I
gather) actually have those rights in the first place to be able to
grant them?

Is it likely that Macross Zero will ever be commercially licensed in
the USA?

Does Harmony Gold have a legal leg to stand on when it comes to
stopping Macross toys from being commercially imported by anyone but
themselves?

Enquiring minds want to know.
--
Chris Meadows aka | Homepage: http://www.terrania.us
Robotech_Master |
robo...@eyrie.org | Earn a free iPod and a free Mac Mini!
| http://www.terrania.us/conga.html

[Mike JD Silva]

To what extent, we don't know. There has to be more to this as Yamato
did at one time try to market the 1/48 Valks in the US under the name
Sunwards, and they failed. Not only that, but at AX 04 (or was it
'05...) Tommy Yune mentioned that while they were at Tatsunoko earlier
that year they saw that Tatsunoko had international rights to DYRL
merchindise that no one to HG's shock picked it up, so they did(which
explains the DYRL theme toys we've seen here for over a year now).

There was even a rumor a year ago that ADV was interested in Macross
Zero, asked Big West about it, who told them to go to HG. HG said go
ahead, to the shock of Big West who then stopped it at the last minute.

Considering that there has been no new news forthcoming on this issue
nor any real sense of challenge by Big West or other companies(keep in
mind this mess started at Comic Con *1999*) it does seem to point out
that HG has something to back it up.