What are the Legal Rights of Action figures?

[Roughneck]

Like.....Say for a movie like the 40 year old virgin....did they have to pay money to both Marvel and Toybiz to use the ML3 Thor in that movie?

Or that one episode of Newsradio where they had a Boba Fett figurine....did they pay Lucasarts and Kenner (or hasbro) to use that? Same thing goes for Seinfeld....he's always had a Superman magnet on his fridge then later a Superman Statue on the shelf....in every single episode....did he have to pay DC for that?

I know that filmmakers have to pay to use music and stuff like that.....Just wondering...thanks

 

[lars573]

I think they'd only have to have Hasbro/Mattel/DC/Toybiz sign off if they showed it clearly in the packaging. Course the studio would probably have goten permission anyway, for CYA'age.

But I do know this. If your a musician who writes a song about Superman that contains direct overt references to Superman (like say using Clark Kent, Man of steel, red cape, etc) you have to a) get Time Warners approval, and b) pay them. It was part of a larger anidote, who's end was that they get hundreds of request for song approvals a year.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

not sure.. but i doubt they'd have to pay for them... if anything, it'd be advertisements for the toy company's. Similar to how Fantastic Four has Dodge, Activision, etc...

 

[spideyboy_1111]

if im not mistaken.. movies/tv shows get company's to actually give them money... as a sponsor kinda deal

 

[lars573]

Eye they do. It's called product placement. But that is usually fairly obvious. Obvious as in when they use the product to be placed you can clearly see the company logo.

Now for Rough's 40 year old virgin example. If they were using that ML Thor as a prouct placement they would have had a clear shot of both the Toybiz logo and the ML logo.

EDIT: It's acutally something my brother and I comment on when we watch movies. Usually along the lines of, "Dang that's some nice product placement, real subtle!"

 

[spideyboy_1111]

ya it is usually subtle, and it is interesting, considering how tv shows can't use products without paying.. yet movies get paid to use a product. My friends in Video production classes black out, tape over, and alter logo's of coke cans and bottles... any change to a label to make it look even slightly different is ok to get away with. I've colored and altred M&M and Butterfinger bars for them.. lol it was actually kinda fun

 

[lars573]

Ever watch Repomen? There is a scene in a convinience store and everything on the store shelves has a white label that says what it is written in black magic marker. They are waling down the asile past BEER, CORNFLAKES, CONDOMS. t:

 

[Roughneck]

Okay, Spideyboy....you're in Hollywood......I need you to find a way for me to have a scene using action figures........Like Okay....I'll detail the scene here for you but I don't want anyone to steal it from me.


Basically thse two girls walk into a guys house and then from there the scene is a complete rip off of 'The Birds'....But with figs instead of birds.....

 

[Roughneck]

Not with the figs flying in a killing.....The scene where the lady walks out of the house and the birds are all over th place sitting on perches and stuff looking at her.

 

[Roughneck]

Somebody give me some straight info please

 

[spideyboy_1111]

lol, you just asked us a day or 2 ago

 

[Roughneck]

yeah, but I still want to know

 

[Roughneck]

ya it is usually subtle, and it is interesting, considering how tv shows can't use products without paying.. yet movies get paid to use a product. My friends in Video production classes black out, tape over, and alter logo's of coke cans and bottles... any change to a label to make it look even slightly different is ok to get away with. I've colored and altred M&M and Butterfinger bars for them.. lol it was actually kinda fun

Shasta!!!!

 

[MangleBoP]

Actually, the magnet was lost during an earthquake, and someone at DC found another one in the basement of their offices and sent it to Jerry.