Tsuburaya Productions Wins Ultraman Lawsuit

Above, Ultraman stands guard in front of the Rox department store in Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The long battle between Tsuburaya Productions and a Japanese company claiming overseas rights to Ultraman is over.

Jiji Press reported:

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)--Tsuburaya Productions Co.., the producer of the television series featuring Japanese superhero Ultraman, said Tuesday a California court has ruled that an alleged contract on the use rights of Ultraman outside Japan is not authentic.  

Following the ruling fully supporting Tsuburaya Productions, made on Wednesday, the Tokyo-based company plans to accelerate overseas promotion of Ultraman.   

According to Tsuburaya Productions, the court judged that the contract alleged to have been concluded in 1976 between the late Noboru Tsuburaya, then president of the company, and a Thai man, is invalid because it was not signed by Tsuburaya.

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