Bearcat223

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Welcome to Wikipedia, Bearcat223! Thank you for your contributions. I am Geniac and I have been editing Wikipedia for some time, so if you have any questions feel free to leave me a message on my talk page. You can also check out Wikipedia:Questions or type {{helpme}} at the bottom of this page. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

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Proposal

Mockbusters are low budget films that ride off the publicity of blockbusters such as Transformers, Ratatouille etc. They use a popular technique known as “sound alike titling” supposedly to confuse customers into buying their version and thus profiting from this venture. There have been a few cases recently where major production houses have sued the makers of these movies. E.g. Warner Brothers versus “The Hobbit”. The Wikipedia page on Mockbusters at present discusses the history, sound alike titling, foreign knockoffs and pornographic content. My plan for this Wikipedia page is to link the idea of Mockbusters back to intellectual property. This would be done by adding subsections that address the following issues:

Plan for Editing

1) Do Mockbusters have a legitimate claim to make such movies under “artistic license”? As surprising as this sounds there is actually a genre called “bad movies” and has its own loyal fan group. These Mockbusters are released Direct to DVD and intended for purchase specifically by these groups. Do they thus have a claim under artistic license? Using a few examples to analyze this: Transmorphers and Little Cars.

2) Why are such movies considered to be illegal/i.e. what are the copyright infringements they present?

3) Analyzing a recent case More specifically the case of WB versus The Hobbit (from both perspectives – Universal Studios and Asylum Studios. Consequences of creating a precedent through a legal ruling.

4) What differentiates Mockbusters from a Mockumentaries and why is one acceptable in the eyes of the IP industry? Summary: A Mockumentary is a parody of real life events presented in a documentary style. Truly speaking a Mockumentary is an original piece. E.g. “All you need is Cash” is a mockumentary about the Rutles – based upon the true story of the Beatles and consumerism in society. A Mockbuster follows somewhat the same story line but has different characters. Do these changes make it an original?

Sources

"Outcome of the Warner v Asylum Case" "Legal Opinion of Hobbit Case" "IP issues in Hobbit Case" "Defending Mockbusters" "Summary of the Issue in Hobbit Case" "Legal Contentions in Hobbit Case" — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bearcat223 (talk • contribs) 18:06, March 11, 2013‎

Wow, you've done a good bit of research here. You should post to the talk page of the Mockbuster article to discuss your ideas. Let me know if you need any help. --Geniac (talk) 03:42, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

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