"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit." - President Ronald Reagan.

Buy The Amazon Kindle Store Ebook Edition

Buy The Amazon Kindle Store Ebook Edition
Get the ebook edition here! (Click image.)

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Don Glut Sued By Mattel Over He-Man and Masters of the Universe Franchise Rights

Above, Don Glut.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Looks like Goliath is going after David in court.

Writer, director and dinosaur authority Donald F. Glut is being sued by Mattel, Inc. over franchise rights of the Masters of the Universe and He-Man characters.

The South Bay Daily Breeze reported:
Mattel Inc., the world's biggest toy company, is suing the author of early Masters of the Universe comic books to prevent him from asserting any ownership interest in the franchise starring He-Man. 
The El Segundo-based toymaker filed suit on Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against Donald F. Glut, who has a long resume that includes writing for various TV series, videos and documentaries. 
Since the early 1980s, Mattel has leveraged Masters of the Universe for toys and accessories, two animated TV series, consumer products, comic books and a feature-length film. 
Mattel's suit accuses Glut of a "baseless and time-barred attempt to grab a piece" of Masters of the Universe, but does not specify how he is pursuing this.
To read the full article, go here.  To read the full lawsuit, go here.

According to the Hollywood Reporter:
The toy-maker has filed a lawsuit in California federal court that seeks a declaration of its rights. According to the complaint, Glut has recently come forward to assert that he created the characters and is entitled to copyright ownership. Mattel says that it is too late, that for more than three decades it's been acknowledged that Glut's contributions fell under the work-for-hire doctrine. 
But Mattel now says in its lawsuit that Glut claims that his work on Masters of the Universe was not done as a work-for-hire, and that he owns an interest in the copyrights to his works. Glut is reported to have filed a copyright registration on a treatment featuring the He-Man characters and is threatening to sue.
 The Daily Breeze article is correct, the lawsuit does not specify how or when Glut allegedly claimed he has rights to the characters.  

1 comment:

Max the drunken severed head said...

Thank you for posting this news; I am sorry to read it. I've spoken with Don on several occasions, heard him lecture, and interviewed him. I enjoyed his books and comic book stories when I was younger. I wish him the best in what must be a very stressful situation.

Search This Blog