Sharkboy sues Disney

[Astro101 0]

from pwinsider

 

Today's Dayton Daily News is reporting today that Dean Roll, who has wrestled for years as "Shark Boy", has filed a lawsuit against Disney-owned Miramax Film Corp., claiming his "Shark Boy" trademark had been infringed upon.  Miramax is releasing a movie on Friday called "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl" and Roll filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, OH to protect his interest.  Roll trademarked the name "Shark Boy" five years ago.  According to the story, "Roll wants the defendants, including Dimension Films, Troublemaker Studios and others to return any 'money, profits and advantages wrongfully gained' along with triple damages, attorneys' fees and expenses for bringing the action filed by Dayton attorney Thomas J. Intilli."

 

I was wondering when/if this was gonna happen.

[syxx2001 0]

Can he even do that? Isnt there a movie called The Rock? I could see if it was a Hulk Hogan situation, but Sharkboy? Come on, hes acting like a rapper now.

[Carnival 0]

Like anyone in the world is gonna see this movie thinking that the wrestler Shark Boy is gonna be in it.

 

But hey sue 'em anyways, it's his name.

[nl5xsk1 0]

This is no dumber than the WWF-vs-WWF lawsuit.

[AndrewTS 0]

Like anyone in the world is gonna see this movie thinking that the wrestler Shark Boy is gonna be in it.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I thought of him first, actually.

 

Isnt there a movie called The Rock

 

That's a really bad example. It's not actually a character in the movie. Even so, "The Rock" is a common nickname for guys in sports. Heck, hasn't the WWE had 3 so far? Duane, Morocco, and somebody else that I don't remember.

[Fro 0]

He's got a good case, particularly since he's used the gimmick a long time and had national TV exposure on WCW and TNA. This is no stupider than Marvel suing WWF over "Hulk" Hogan.

[Zack Malibu 0]

Also, if it mattered, I believe The Rock movie came out in '96-early '97, and Maivia wasn't using it as his nickname until his heel turn in summer of '97.

[syxx2001 0]

but Hulk isnt a regular word. People dont say "Man, Kobe hulked up", they say he got big. At least I dont think its a regular word.

[Mole 0]

If Sharkboy owns the name, then Disney should have to pay him money to use it. Simple as that.

[Celtic Guardian 0]

Like anyone in the world is gonna see this movie thinking that the wrestler Shark Boy is gonna be in it.

 

But hey sue 'em anyways, it's his name.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm not so sure the movie is the problem so much as the ancillary merchandise. Having both "Shark Boy" and "Sharkboy" product out could cause marketplace confusion.

[Carnival 0]

Ah, your right i never thought about the merch.

[Fro 0]

Yeah, I don't see how Sharkboy couldn't win something for the action figure part of this.

[Ravenbomb 0]

HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

 

 

 

'sceuse me...

 

 

 

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

 

 

 

Oh, man I hope Sharkboy wins (against Disney)

[AndrewTS 0]

WB could have gotten sued over Buzz Bunny (it's a character and figure trademarked by a Dutch animator: http://www.figurefarm.com/character_design_buzz_bunny.htm ).

 

So they changed it to Ace Bunny.

[tekcop 0]

This was the first thing I thought of when I saw a preview for this movie.

 

"Man, I bet Sharkboy's gonna try and sue Disney now."

[Placebo Effect 0]

It'd be awesome if Shark Boy became a millionaire.

[Mole 0]

Is Sharkboy a good wrestler?

[Astro101 0]

I haven't seen great stuff from him from the small amount of times TNA uses him, but he's pretty decent in the ring and has a nice cult following in Orlando. I like him.

[natey2k4 0]

Shark Boy is entertaining in the ring. He's not a Charlie Haas or Austin Aries, but he's good and he has a load of charisma.

 

Disney should pay for the use of his name...

 

And I dont know about the merch arguement though, unless Disney's sharkboy looks a lot like our Sharky.

[slimm44 0]

Well he has to make money somehow other than jobbing lol. I don't know if it's incorrect but it is a Dimension Films, not sure if it is a branch of Disney or what but sounds like a mistake to me.

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

I think the character in the movie's shirt even looks like the wrestler's(from the previews I saw) Anyhow, I hope he wins, gotta love a dude like Sharkboy. I'm suprised that something hasn't come up over the fact that his training camp is called the Shark Tank and there's an MMA dojo/whatever you want to call it called Shark Tank

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

huh, I just looked up pictures of the movie character, it sorta does look like Shark Boy's shirt

for comparison:

movie Shark Boy

 

wrestler Shark Boy

 

He definately has a case

Edited June 9, 2005 by Masked Man of Mystery

[syxx2001 0]

That fucking kid doesnt even wear a mask. I hope Im famous one day so I can sue someone for saying "Go van!" since that is my last name and it would confuse people.

[Ced 0]

If Shark Boy get anything in this suit against Disney, I may have to contemplate going after Cedric the Entertainer.

[CBright7831 0]

This is hilarious.

 

I hope Sharky wins.

 

Shark Boy finally gets his first victory...against Disney!

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

Naw, he beat Chris Chetti(I think it was Chetti) at his debut in XPW at Exit Sandman(just about the only good thing about that card)

[reign 0]

According to a caller named Chris, an attorney in FL,on Between the Ropes Shark Boy doesn't have a chance as Disney will aggresively defend this and possibly countersue Shark Boy's attorney for a frivilous lawsuit in order to discourage others. This attorney had dealt with trademark infringement and sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Due to Shark Boy's limited exposure no one will confuse the kid on the movie with the wrestler. He also said they poll the general public to determine what the common preception of a product is. But he sorta contradicted this by saying that WWF(pandas) had a good legit reason for suing WWE(F) as the common perception was that WWF was a wrestling company rather than a wildlife fund. And by that logic Shark Boy should get some Mickey Mouse money....our laws are fucking nuts.

[Placebo Effect 0]

Naw, he beat Chris Chetti(I think it was Chetti) at his debut in XPW at Exit Sandman(just about the only good thing about that card)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"We want Shark Boy!"

"She ate Shark Boy!"

[syxx2001 0]

Actually it makes sense. Look at it like this.

 

"Hi. Houston Zoo, this is the WWF and we wanted to bring little kids who have never been to a zoo to see your wildlife exhibit"

 

"Sorry, we dont endorse wrestling. Dont call us again"

 

"Buy your Shark Boy merchandise tomorrow on disney.com"

 

"I wonder if thats the same guy we saw at...um....um...remember that show we went to last week? It WAS at Universal Studios."

 

WWF is easier to confuse than Shark Boy.

[MrRant 0]

I hope he gets crushed.