Macross and Battletech... A cautionary tale in International Copyright Confusion

[GojiKaichou1]

Hey, mech fans, and anime fans in general! I know, it's NOT the 25th Anniversary of Super Dimension Fortress Macross any longer, (I believe it was back in 2016, around the same time that the TV series Macross Frontier and the OAV series Macross Zero were simultaneously released.) but it's still cool to see mech designs like these still around in some way, shape or form.

https://youtu.be/rKNoo8MbuNU

I ALSO know that some of you who are Battletech fans will probably point out the fact that "Hey! Some of the mechs in the video above look a lot like the Wasp or Stinger LAM!" I would have to say that you're totally correct there. You see, back around '82 or '83, Game company FASA got permission from 20th Century Imports to use the designs of a few mecha from the original Macross (and other mech anime) in the first edition of a little tabletop miniatures game they were developing, called "Battletech". In the mid 90s, FASA found out that 20th Century Imports never had ANY SORT of legally authorized ability to distribute rights to anything from Macross or the production committee in charge of that property.

Meanwhile, at the HQ of the LEGION OF DOOM (Not affiliated with the BPL - as far as I know), a US production company named Harmony Gold had obtained US video distribution rights to the series from anime production house Tatsunoko in 82 or 83, also obtaining merchandising rights from them (for use in a Frankenstein's abortion of a show that would later be reviled and widely condemned in anime fandom as "Robotech"), and outright legal WACKINESS ensued when they took FASA to court over "copyright infringement".

No, seriously.

WACKINESS AND HIJINKS.

https://youtu.be/nPou5WuE-Y4

Tears were shed. Hair was pulled out. Actual human blood may or may not have been spilled.

The whole Battletech vs. Robotech lawsuit ordeal... it's something that would take about a YEAR to cover here, it's still ongoing, and it's very *VERY* messy. But because of these (debatably) legal shenanigans on the part of Harmony Gold, the 12 mechs originally featured in Battletech were removed from all media, and reclassified as "The Unseen".

RIP Crusader, in all your shiny glory. Somewhere in a box at my parents' house, there are both an original "Unseen" Crusader and Stinger LAM metal mini made by Ral Partha. I'll have to dig through some of my old stuff, and see if they survived one day.

So FASA ended up getting screwed in the ass ROYALLY with the 10-meter telephone pole of "JUSTICE", and this is only one of MANY reasons why Macross doesn't get any sort of official video release over here. It's not that we wouldn't understand the series because of cultural idiosyncrasies - as is the case with many anime that never made it to the Western audience, the short story is that it's all because of those BALL-LICKING COPYRIGHT TROLLS over at Harmony Gold who are still sitting on the licensing rights TO THIS DAY, so that no one can use the mech designs or content from any of the Macross series (or even the name "Macross") without heavy litigation. One thing we know by now about Harmony Gold: They LOVE to sue people for copyright infringement, any chance they get. And once they expire, HG just buys the rights back and sits on them again. And again. And again. (Starting to see a pattern developing here?)

By now, all the anime distribution companies in the US have seen the outcome of the FASA v. Harmony Gold lawsuit, and don't want to get caught up in that same ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of false accusations of "Copyright Infringement". It's almost as if Harmony Gold is using the lawsuits as a source of income, rather than the dubious "product" they claim they're working on.

https://youtu.be/MVd44TTEVyA

International copyright law is confusing at best, infuriating at worst. But there IS a silver lining, as more recently, HG tried to sue Tatsunoko in Copyright Claims Court, only to get ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ laughed at.

As new discoveries are being made overseas regarding whether Tatsunoko even had the legal right to enter into business dealings with HG (as the Macross series was done by 3 separate anime companies in a production committee, and no one knows who has the rights to WHAT), as well as their more recent (and separate) cases against Harebrained Schemes and PGI getting dropped with extreme prejudice by the courts, I think that whoever really turns out to own the rights to Macross will definitely not sell those rights back to Harmony Gold after they expire.

However - until that glorious day comes, I have every complete TV series of Macross, from SDF Macross to Macross Delta - and everything in between - stored on my portable HD. I blame my addiction to torrenting. LOL

If anyone would like me to do a synopsis or review of any particular Macross series, Let me know. I love writing film reviews as a side from comedy writing.

[GojiKaichou1]

Fun fact: In Macross, the mechs that later became the Rifleman, Archer, and Warhammer in Battletech were used primarily as point defense mecha on the titular ship, the SDF Macross. They never really saw the same sort of duty FASA ascribed to them in Battletech/Mechwarrior - basically giant stompy death machines. The ORIGINAL Marauder design was one of the enemy "battlepods" - more specifically, the enemy commander's battlepod. It was basically more of a powered armor in the Macross series, since the alien armada was comprised of huge genetically altered warriors. (There is still some ongoing debate as to whether the Ostscout/Ostroc in Battletech is a revamped Regult battlepod from Macross. Personally, I don't see it.)

In one particular episode, there's a part where the Macross plows one of its arms (it has a transformation mode - like almost every mech in the 80s) into a MASSIVE enemy ship (SURPRISE! It's actually one of the little corvette-class ships of the enemy armada, but as the aliens are GIANTS, their tiny ship is fucking HUGE to us), and the forward hatch opens at the end of the arm, revealing that they had moved all the heavy point-defense mechs (known as "Destroids" in both the US and Japanese versions) to this part of the ship prior to the ramming maneuver.

The destroids then open fire all at once, destroying the enemy ship from the inside.

https://youtu.be/3g594pOC4pc

Not exactly the tactics I would have used, but hey... if it works, it works.

[GojiKaichou1]

Another fun fact: The mechs that we know as the Griffon, Battlemaster, and Shadow Hawk were actually featured in the anime series "Fang of the Sun DOUGRAM". This show was also produced by Tatsunoko, and thus, these two lucky mech designs escaped the Harmony Gold lawsuit (as HG only had acquired the license for Macross, Mospeada and Southern Cross), which is why the Griffon and the Battlemaster still look roughly the same in Battletech. Except for that squared-off cockpit on the Griffon in the footage. FASA's rounded-off version seems to be the one that really stuck with fans.

https://youtu.be/eYcEKSiqr08

My first impression after watching this was that this could be adapted into a Mechwarrior show. It practically screams Battletech. It's just a shame that the series' artwork was so rushed. This was made at a time when every cel was painted by hand, there were no computer-aided effects, and tons of anime studios were popping up in Japan. For a while, it was a booming business. I've seen fan art that actually does justice to the mech designs, as well as some of the model kits from Bandai.

[JT]

You reminded me of a little anime series called Armored Trooper Votoms, which had a sort of combat mech thing going on too, ever seen it?

[GojiKaichou1]

Yeah, ATVotoms was another series I picked up in the late 80s and early 90s, when it came to the states under the "Streamline Pictures" banner. Streamline was basically Harmony Gold. It was the same shitty actors, directors and producers. They changed the name because... Well... They're dicks. I mean, they did a total hack job on the first version of Akira's English dub to hit theatres here. They ruined pretty much every anime they got their hands on.

Thank god Carl Macek (the creator of Robotech) is STONE DEAD now. Unfortunately, Harmony Gold just won't let that UNHOLY ABOMINATION die along with him.

This is why I prefer the anime in its original Japanese language, with english subs.

[GojiKaichou1]

I've seen quite a few mech anime from the 80s. I'm partial to Mobile Suit Gundam, Macross, and Mazinger Z. Votoms really was more about the pilot of one particular mech, and how war scars soldiers for life. It wasn't a very big mech in Votoms, it was more akin to a 20-35 tonner in Battletech. More like a very large powered armor or a protomech, instead of a big stompy bot.

Fang of the Sun Dougram was also more about the mech pilots, but it featured more rock 'em sock 'em giant robot action, and felt more like Battletech at heart.

[GojiKaichou1]

Thank god no one picked up the rights to Dougram back in the 80s. I'd hate to think what sort of mess HG would have turned it into.

[JT]

Yeah, the mech in Votoms kind of seems similar to the COMMANDO doesn't it?

[GojiKaichou1]

It's a little beefier looking than the Commando, but the heads look the same, with the swiveling eye thing.

[JT]

Exactly.

[Snakesh!t]

Tusken, did you hear the good new about the CGL vs HG lawsuit?

[Lolwut?]

Please do tell. Last i heard HG has settled with Piranha back in late 2018.

[GojiKaichou1]

Unfortunately, I haven't heard any news of late. I still keep hearing rumors that the Robotech Live-Action Piece of Shit... I mean MOVIE... Is still in the works. I hope it stays in production hell. I also hope Harmony Gold's licensing for Macross lapses soon, and they lose everything.

Honestly, I don't know any true anime fan who would go pay money to see any sort of Robotech nonsense. Bring the REAL Macross to the US, that's what needs to happen.

Death to Harmony Gold!

[Ravenous Raven]

What a shit show and a half. I always wondered why it was so hard to get hold of anything Macross here in the U.S.

[Hangry_Wolverine]

Originally posted by Tuskenraider48 (BPL):

I also hope Harmony Gold's licensing for Macross lapses soon, and they lose everything.

Honestly, I don't know any true anime fan who would go pay money to see any sort of Robotech nonsense. Bring the REAL Macross to the US, that's what needs to happen.

Death to Harmony Gold!

If what I've heard is true, HG's licensing is set to expire within the next year or two. Seeing as how they sued the IP owners a year or two ago and lost I'd be gobsmacked if they end up getting a renewal.

They violated the golden rule: never bite the hand that feeds.

[NotoriusBEN]

Im not sure about the ramifications of what this means... it feels like Harmony Gold got a cash infusion coming their way with regards to this... Im happy, because, yay giant robit spesplanes, but it feels like Harmony Gold is getting money out of this when they should have lost their copyright hold over two decades ago.

maybe losing their copyright war with battletech unseen mechs made them shit the bed and go to the negotiation table with BigWest in japan

Heres a video, and the actual document:
source url https://macross.jp/b2b/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfmwoOtYpEw

***********
BIGWEST CO., LTC., STUDIO NUE, INC. and HARMONY GOLD U.S.A
ANNOUNCE EXPANSIVE AGREEMENT FOR
THE FUTURE OF MACROSS AND ROBOTECH WORLDWIDE!
***********

April 9, 2021, Tokyo, Japan: Landmark agreement between the anime companies will allow immediate international distribution of most Macross television sequels and films, while affirming Harmony Gold’s rights to the Robotech franchise. Both companies will cooperate on the international distribution of future Macross and Robotech projects post 2021.

Tokyo based BIGWEST CO.,LTD. and Los Angeles based Harmony Gold U.S.A. announced an agreement regarding the worldwide rights for the legendary Macross and Robotech franchises. This expansive agreement signed by both companies on March 1, 2021, ends two decades of disagreements and will allow Bigwest and Harmony Gold to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential of both the Macross and Robotech franchises worldwide. The landmark agreement immediately permits worldwide distribution of most of the Macross films and television sequels worldwide, and also confirms that Bigwest will not oppose the Japanese release of an anticipated upcoming live-action Robotech film. The agreement also recognizes Harmony Gold’s longstanding exclusive license with Tatsunoko for the use of the 41 Macross characters and mecha in the Robotech television series and related merchandise throughout the world excluding Japan. Moving forward, both parties will cooperate on distribution regarding future Macross and Robotech projects for the benefit of both franchises.

Bigwest Representative Director, Kaya Onishi added,“Stories that feature Valkyries, a transformable realistic mecha, in action among the galaxies while diva's sing in the background, as well as love triangles involving the pilots and singers. That was and continues to be the concept behind the Macross series, and I am happy that I can now help bring Macross to people all over the world on the 40th anniversary of the series. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Harmony Gold Chairman, Frank Agrama for his courageous decision in this matter.”

Harmony Gold USA Chairman, Frank Agrama stated, “This is an incomparably historic moment for both Harmony Gold and Bigwest and the anime industry overall. This is also an exciting moment for fans of Robotech and Macross worldwide. I thank my friend, Bigwest Representative Director, Kaya Onishi for her hard work to help us reach this long desired resolution that protects both of our franchises while building a better tomorrow for both our companies.”