Dutch children's author and illustrator Dick Bruna is taking the Japanese company Sanrio to court. Mr Bruna says the firm has made a virtual carbon copy of his famous rabbit 'Miffy'.
The 83-year old Dutchman argues that Sanrio is taking advantage of the status of Miffy, who is extremely popular in Japan.
The Japanese rabbit 'Kathy' is drawn with the same simple lines, wears an almost identical dress and has very similar ears. The main difference is that Kathy wears a bow. Sanrio launched Kathy internationally last year along with merchandising lines in the form of toys and clothing.
Sanrio also has a successful television character 'Hello Kitty', which is likewise drawn in the Bruna style but is clearly not a rabbit.
Dick Bruna complains that the behaviour of the Japanese company is both damaging him financially and violating his intellectual property rights. The Dutch illustrator created Miffy (known as Nijntje in Dutch) back in 1955.
Sanrio had already been asked to stop the marketing of Kathy, but it ignored the request. Dick Bruna has now applied to an Amsterdam court for an injunction demanding an immediate halt to production. He is calling for 50,000 euros a day in damages in case of non-compliance.
The court is expected to pass judgment in two weeks' time.
UPDATE:
The court ruled in favor of Dick Bruna and called for an immediate stop to production, sales and marketing of Kathy goods in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and told Sanrio to pay 25,000 euro a day in the event of noncompliance.
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JAPANESE DOESN'T COPY ALL WESTERN. JAPANESE WERE THE ONE'S BEING COPIED BY EUROPEANS DURING THE 1600'S OR SO, ESPECIALLY THEIR PORCELAINWARES! :)
THE THING HERE IS, SANRIO COPIED THE TRADEMARK STYLE OF DICK BRUNA, WHICH IS THE THICK OUTLINE, ORANGE BACKGROUND AND THE GRIMACE-LIKE DRESS. AND THE POINT OF THIS ALL IS THAT KATHY WAS CREATED.. THROUGH "INSPIRED BY", W/O MIFFY'S CREATOR'S CONSENT.
It's not usual that Kathy (and Kitty) has orange background. Orange, red, blue or whatever, Sanrio characters don't use such primary vivid colors, which are not Japanese taste. The photo appeared on RNW and other Dutch news is meant to make an impression of how similar they are. Why Kitty and her friends are so popular is not just the design of characters, but rather a set of images and stories, as well as Sanrio's marketing technique. I'm afraid but the reputation of Dick Bruna is rapidly going down in Japan, though we are not necessarily for Sanrio.
Well, its a rabbit isent it - its gotto have two long ears!
Its for children so its gotto look cute - thus the simple lines. From a laymans point of you they are still pretty much different. Curious what the court has to say.
Looking at the two illustrations, it is obvious that Kathy looks more happy. Also, for me they are 2 different characters. the size, the ears, the mouth, the color etc. All rabbits drawn with these simple lines will have a resemblance and how can Mr. Braun fight about it? Maybe he should spend more time trying to market his rabbit.
the japanese copy all western stuff for as long as I can remember .
that s no surprise
Ha, what a stereotypical old-fashioned prejudice!! This guy does not know the meaning of "copy". And, what is "All Western"???
Any culture, technology, or idea more or less starts with getting inspired, copying and absorbing, then modifying, improving, and innovating.
As far as I know, many Japanese people recognise the difference between Miffy and Cathy. If Bruna's company owns this kind of exclusive right, any deformed cartoon rabbit is the same.
Please....it's pretty much an open secret that Hello Kitty hereself was "inspired by" Miffy. it's easy for us now to dismiss this claim, however in 1955 the Miffy was the first character in this simplistic cute style. Whereas Kitty can get away with just being "inspired by...", Kathy is very obviously a copy. Do your research and learn your history.
Yes, they do look similar, I thought they were a family....;).....
I think Mr. 'The truth will prevail' doesn't know Kitty (of Hello Kitty). Cathy is much more similar to Kitty. Anyway, for Japanese children Kathy is Kathy not Miffy.
It has nothing to do with right to own design of all rabits, he is not arguing Walt disney's rabits is he? Kathy (Sanrio compagny started in 1974) looks quite familiar to Miffy / Nijntje (burthday, june 21st 1955). His design was first! Thats what the arguing is about. In Japan the kids look to Kathy and say Miffy..... (Does that, ring a bell?)
"Mr Bruna says the firm has made a virtual carbon copy of his famous rabbit 'Miffy'.".........Kathy's ears are shaped differently. She doesn't have mouth and Miffy does. Kathy has a nose and Miffy does not. Katy''s ears, head and feet are all shaped differently. Miffy is also wider than Kathy. There is no virtual copy of his rabbit Miffy. Does he have a right to own all designs of rabbits? No. Case closed!
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