USA: the court recognized the violation of the rights to Cheburashka by Soyuzmultfilm

In the United States, a lawsuit between the American company LaRubInt Corp. was completed. and the Russian film studio Soyuzmultfilm about the rights to use images of popular characters-Cheburashka, crocodile Gena and Shapoklyak. The court found that the Russian side violated the terms of the exclusive license agreement signed in 2016.

According to the court's decision, Soyuzmultfilm illegally transferred the rights to commercial use of these characters to another company — Cheburashka Project LLP. This was despite the fact that an exclusive license for the same territories, including Japan, China and the United States, had already been issued to LaRubInt Corp. In 2016, an American company paid $ 60,000 for the right to work with the Cheburashka brand in the international space.

The situation worsened when sales of products with the image of Cheburashka began in Japan under a license issued by CPLLP. This became the basis for filing a lawsuit, originally sent to a Tokyo court in 2018. However, the Japanese proceedings were terminated due to the lack of an official response from the Russian side. LaRubInt later appealed to the US jurisdiction, where the court sided with the plaintiff.

Soyuzmultfilm explained that back in 2005, the rights to use images in Japan were transferred to TV Tokyo, and later extended through a sublicense mechanism. According to the Russian studio, this agreement expired in 2014, but the Japanese side held the opposite position.

Against the background of the decision, representatives of Soyuzmultfilm stated that they are ready to comply with the verdict of the American court in case of its legalization on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The court case demonstrates the complexity of managing intellectual property rights in an international environment, especially when it comes to iconic brands with a long history. The dispute over Cheburashka highlights the importance of strict compliance with the terms of license agreements and monitoring their implementation in transnational legal systems.