Animation company is ordered to destroy films (From The Argus)
Get involved: Send your news, views, pictures and video by texting SUPIC to 80360 or email us.
Brighton animation company is ordered to destroy films
3:20pm Tuesday 20th November 2012 in News By Emily Walker, Chief Reporter
The DVD cover of Braver © Brightspark Productions
An animation company has been ordered to destroy every copy of four of its films after being accused of trying to trick people looking for Disney favourites.
Brighton-based animation firm Brightspark Productions was accused of marketing its DVD Braver to confuse customers into believing it was the Disney title Brave.
Brightspark’s film was originally released in 2005 under the title Fairy Tale Christmas, but the firm changed the name and packaging to a new design which bore striking similarities to the Disney blockbuster featuring the voices of Billy Connolly and Kelly MacDonald.
Brightspark initially claimed that any similarities between the film – produced by a company with just five staff in an office behind Brighton bus station in Old Steine – and the Disney title were entirely accidental.
However the company reached an agreement with the animation giant in the High Court and has now agreed to destroy every remaining copy of four films that were similar to Disney hits. They also had to pay some of Disney’s legal costs.
Brightspark managing director Jeremy Davis told The Argus yesterday (November 19) : “We were very happy to reach a mutual agreement with Disney. We certainly won’t be making any children’s animations any more.
“Disney are a fairly massive might to be taking on in the High Court and we don’t want to be doing that again.”
Disney bosses said they had been left with no choice but to take legal action against Brightspark following complaints from customers that they had been misled.
A spokesman for Disney said: “The High Court order not only prohibits Brightspark from selling Braver, Tangled Up, The Frog Princess and The Little Cars but also stops them from doing anything in the future which would involve them passing themselves off as Disney and confusing consumers.”
See the latest news headlines from The Argus:
- Body of young woman found in Westbourne house fire
- Albion admit investigation launched into Palace dressing room incident
- Top comics back late Brighton playwright's theatre dream
- 200-year-old skeleton found by boy on West Wittering beach laid to rest
- Hove TV presenter's plea for daughter's missing degree work
Report this comment