Burger Me!

[CraveNoir]

http://www.2000adonline.com/covers/2000ad/mediumres/72.jpg" width=224 height=281>

Link: http://www.burgerwar.com/index.php" target="_blank">Burger Wars

[CraveNoir]

And a quote from one of the devs on the forum there:

Yes, we thrive on controversy and really bad taste. Its what makes people chuckle. We hope to get some law suits as well. Under copy right law we have the right to do what we are doing under fair use as a parody and we will fight who ever might sue, because we know we will win. But we think the big companies are stupid enough to try and sue us. This will make headlines and help us sell more games. Bring em on we fear no one.

Also our philosophy is "Any publicity is good publicity." We love the media.

[Quirkafleeg]

When I was on the tram in Nottingham the other day I saw what realised after a double take was a statue/model of a very drunken looking clown sat on a bench waving a can of Special in VERY similar costume to Ronald Mac. Made me smile... I would think it was a student project/gag and not an offical thing (if it was official it was real real bad)

[Mr D]

The trailer looks pretty lame doesn't it? Still, it's 2000AD being there YEARS before the rest of the world once again!

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Leaving aside a debate about whether "parody" is a defence to breach of copyright (suffice to say, it usually isn't) it occurs to me the 2000ad could actually sue for breach of their Burger Wars story.

Before you laugh, look at it this way -

(a) Rebellion are a computer games company;
(b) This is a computer game;
(c) Rebellion own the rights to a story about Burger Wars, where burger barons fight for territoty;
(d) That's what this game is about.

No parody there. And no Durham Red "vampires are generic" issues either.

[IndigoPrime]

In the US, there are more laws that deal with things like satire than there are in Europe. However, it's moot here, because they're not actually using trademarked characters (in fact, their characters are much less like the actual ones than even the text-based synopsis to those 2000 AD stories that appeared in Complete Judge Dredd).

As for Rebellion, here, I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on in an IP case.

[Oddboy]

Probably not Indigo, but they'd have a heck of a lot more chance then McDs or BK would.
The 'satire' of the game here is mocking those companies, sure - they've covered themselves for that.
The story and set up AND NAME they're using is identicle to the Burger Wars from Dredd.
The owners of that story being a computer games company aswell... o dear.

[VampiraJen]

is it just me, or is that a clown...?

[therev]

looks like poop to me....

[ESCUBRIA]

At least the art and story in the original Dredd Cursed Earth story is far, far superior. This game just looks tacky and cliched; lazy Bastards.