LOL
Doraemon agency warns FCC over use of similar character
(Kyodo) _ The Japanese agency for the popular cartoon series featuring the robotic cat Doraemon said Tuesday it has sent a complaint to a U.S. government agency over its use of a "quite similar" character on its website.
Fujiko Pro, the holder of Doraemon's copyright, has determined that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is using a character named "Broadband" which is almost identical to Doraemon on its website section for children, said the Japanese agency Shogakukan Production Co.
Shogakukan Production, entrusted by Fujiko Pro with copyright protection, said it has sent a written complaint along with documents including excerpts from the cartoon to the FCC, requesting the commission seek permission whenever it uses the character for the purpose of profits.
But the FCC has made no response and has not deleted the character from the website so far, the Japanese agency said.
Broadband appears on the website's "Kids Zone" as a guide introducing children to the roles of the FCC, which oversees interstate and international communications. The agency also handles copyright issues.
One major difference between the two characters is that Broadband has ears while Doraemon does not.
The cartoon and animation series featuring Doraemon is especially popular in East Asia. The show was first aired in Japan in 1979, but has not been aired or published in the United States.
A Japanese fan earlier found Broadband on the FCC website and notified Fujiko Pro and Shogakukan Inc., publisher of Doraemon comics, by e-mail. "We cannot completely rule out the possibility of fraudulent use. But we stopped this time at just sending a reminder because the other side is a government organization," said an official of Shogakukan Production.
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The FCC's "Broadband" creature looks even weirder than Doraemon... LOL
I guess the almighty agency only is seeking to protect the interests of American copyrights and they need to answer to nobody on anything that any other 'lesser' nation is complaining about.... ;p
Kidszone Site Archive
Would be funny to see the FCC get sued for infringement of their own rules... LOL