Germans Demand Profits From Nick Fury's Briefcase

[Thomas Mccluskey]

But by seeking such a big payout in such an obnoxious and public way. Well they're toxic. They live off the wallets of the trendy and stylish. The trendy and stylish live off the wallets of those like Disney. Plus no other studio or production will go near their products ever again. They will lose far more than they have any hope of gaining. Even in a German court.

This much is basically true, although they may have already attempted to settle, but I'd think their best means of settling the dispute would really have been, "Okay, how about this. Just put one of our little four-page brochures in every copy of the collector's edition." Lord knows there's enough advertising in the packaging or on blu-ray discs already, what's one more thing to make a suit go away?

In the event that the packaging is already stuffed and finished and cannot in any way be de-shrinkwrapped to add a brochure, that's when you just throw a sticker on it that says, "This case was designed by Rimowa," and throw in a link to their website. Could've all been done in five minutes.

 

[walrusaurus]

Seems reasonable to me. I can definitly see how going from "that really cool briefcase in that one movie" to "the briefcase that looks like that dvd at walmart" can be damaging to a brand. Especially if they aren't getting any monetary compensation from it.

 

[Barciad]

For once, I'm going to have to go against the Germans. They have enough money already. They own half of Europe. In ten years time, they will own the other half. How much do you need people?

 

[Podunk]

Quick, show of hands- how many people thought that the briefcase "stole every scene it was in, and became so iconic [to The Avengers]"? Because other than this Karloff fellow and possibly the guy who designed the packaging for the DVD collection, I don't know anyone who thinks that. I saw the movie twice, and although I remember Nick Fury had a briefcase, I could not tell you what it looked like.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Except I'll be completely honest I had NO freaking idea Nick Fury had a briefcase AT ALL.

Seriously. If it was there I ignored it simply because guys in suits in those movies ALWAYS carry some kind of case. Disney could edit the case out of the whole movie and I guarantee it'd not be any different.

Exactly. Yet the post made it sound like there were people who went to the movie and were like

"NO. THOR, HULK, STOP FIGHTING. I WANNA SEE MORE OF THE BRIEFCASE."

 

[MorganL4]

Anyone else curious as to whether or not our pre-orders for the limited edition "Phase One" are going to get canceled?

For once, I'm going to have to go against the Germans. They have enough money already. They own half of Europe. In ten years time, they will own the other half. How much do you need people?

Yeah, if Hitler had just thought, hang on a sec, I can work on bolstering the financial markets in my country, and take over Europe THAT WAY.... He should have studied the methods of the Jews, not killed them all.... We all knew the guy was crazy....


Also, I WANT MY BLACK PANTHER MOVIE DAMN IT!!!

 

[Cyrus Hanley]

What, all of Germany wants a cut of the profit?

Ah wait, it's just a German company, which, because it's not important enough to be American, can just be othered into "Germans".

Raise your game, Escapist, you're better than this.

I may be nitpicking, here, but so are you. It's a headline, which is the one place in an article where hyperbolic statements are somewhat acceptable. For example, if a newspaper said, "WORLD AT WAR," following, say, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand or perhaps sometime after, this would be generally acceptable, despite the fact that a number of countries weren't involved due to geography, and Switzerland just sat that one out.

It's also a bit more terse than, "Kindly briefcase designers from a large European nation (the identity of which doesn't matter, as that would be lumping them into a demographic group, which we tend to do, as they are not Americans) seek recompense from the Disney Corporation for their usage of said briefcase makers' design without permission to do so." That would totally be a better headline.

"Rimowa Demand Profits from Nick Fury's Briefcase."

 

[Strazdas]

As if we needed any more proof about how bad our copyright laws are.

 

[Baldr]

They wouldn't have used it if Marvel(Movie studio) didn't have a contract with Rimowa using it for "promotion purposes".

As if we needed any more proof about how bad our copyright laws are.

This is not a copyright case. Trademark and Copyright laws are two separate sets of laws/international treaties and are handled much differently in court.

 

[Guffe]

I sort of understand why he is so pissed off since there's a lot of money in this.
But at the same time the case is so cool I don't understand why he is so grumpy

Imagine if you made something THAT cool and got no money for it.

True true...
But I'd be blinded by the awesomeness so much that I wouldn't care!
Well maybe not, I certainly do understand his point of view. What I don't understand is how Marvel couldn't see this happening

 

[Arakasi]

I'm going to lol if Marvel's lawyer uses one of those cases to store his documents as some kind of visual defence.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

You'd think they'd be more interested in the briefcase he had in Pulp Fiction...

 

[The Human Torch]

I think this case will largely come down to what agreements the two companies made during production and if whether the briefcase logo was displayed during the film.

That said, it honestly looks like any other stainless steel case. Not sure why they bothered getting some designer one when props probably had dozens of similar models sitting around.

Except that this steel case was deliberately designed FOR the Avengers movie, and Marvel decided to sell it as a Blu-Ray collector's box without discussing it with the original designers. Yeah, it doesn't work that way.

 

[Davroth]

Damages? People now wanting a briefcase like the one they saw in the movie will be buying them from Rimowa if they are, indeed, close. This comes off like Chevrolet wanting to sue Transformers over Bumblebee being a Camaro... Actually, Chevrolet might have a case there.

The difference really is that the Transformers DVDs were not packaged with drivable, life-sized Camaro replicas.

 

[The Human Torch]

that case looks just like a cheap travel case i got at walmart for 20 bucks
get the fuck over it, germans

Regardless of what you think it looks like, it's intellectual property that belongs to a company. Which Marvel is abusing with it's usual money-grubbing. And that suitcase at Wal-Mart for 20 bucks? Set me up with a couple, please.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Oh, I want to see the US superheroes humbled before the Germans, in revenge for any number of utterly crap movies and comics.

 

[Stalydan]

Since Marvel is now backed by Disney and their troop of lawyers able to bend copyright and trademark laws to their whim I can see this becoming a serious non-issue.

Hopefully not a Goof Troop of lawyers. I don't see that ending too well for them.

 

[Zefar]

I can BARELY remember the briefcase to begin with so their claim that it stole the scenes was just laughable.

What they should do is test people with a fake copy that looks different and ask those who have seen the movie if they can remember that briefcase. If his words are true they would notice it being different.

 

[JMeganSnow]

The breifcase in the film was based on a real brand?

Rimowa do know that Marvel had just make a breifcase shape dvd boxset right? Ok yes it's still ripping them off by image but I highly doubt anyone will use it as a literal briftcase if it can be used as one at all.

Marvel should file a countersuit claiming they were not reimbursed for the advertising value they provided.

If Rimowa had ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER, they would not sue, they'd shout from the rooftops "HEY, WE MAKE THAT OSSUM CASE!!! COME GET A HIGH-QUALITY ONE!!!!!!"

 

[Amaror]

I don't know what you are complaining about, Rimowa is clearly in the right here.
Sure it may not be the smartest move of them, but they are, undoubtfully, in the right.

And:
"GERMANS Demand Profits From Nick Fury's Briefcase"
Seriously?

 

[faefrost]

I think this case will largely come down to what agreements the two companies made during production and if whether the briefcase logo was displayed during the film.

That said, it honestly looks like any other stainless steel case. Not sure why they bothered getting some designer one when props probably had dozens of similar models sitting around.

Except that this steel case was deliberately designed FOR the Avengers movie, and Marvel decided to sell it as a Blu-Ray collector's box without discussing it with the original designers. Yeah, it doesn't work that way.

In which case it is most likely a prop and a work for hire arrangement, with the compensation being in the form of product placement and marketing. If this was something designed and custom made specifically for the Avengers movie, then Rinowa will in all likelihood lose. Studios did watch what happened with George Lucas and the Stormtrooper helmets.