Comments on: Japanese TV network sues ABC over “Wipeout”

By: Gdly

Gdly — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 06:09:00 +0000

You can’t copyright words. There are legal implications to copying a show format without warrant. Weather or not they can be legally accused of plagiarism though doesn’t change what the evidence shows. Also it has very little to do with what else gets copied the topic here is wipeout.

By: SonicForge

SonicForge — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:18:52 +0000

Well it is going to be interesting if TBS wins it’s lawsuit against ABC. I have to admit there are a lot of similarities between MXC Takeshi’s Castle & Susuke to some degree. ABC apparently bought the search term MXC & which directed google search to their wipeout page. The California courts apparently at least right now seem to be in support of TBS. They are dismissing ABC’s claim and allowing TBS to pressure forward. I personally am not a big fan of wipeout as much prefer Sasuke but ABC should really have been a little more original. With Ninja Warrior and to a lesser extent MXC being so popular here. It was stupid to think there wouldn’t have been comparisons made.

By: Scholar01

Scholar01 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:19:02 +0000

Many Jpop, Jrap, and Jrocker plagiarize ideas from American singers, so should America sue? Why are English words and song titles featured in Jmusic when the singer is not even fluent in English?

By: MrSatyre

MrSatyre — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:46:23 +0000

I’ve always wondered what the actual Japanese dialogue was like in Takeshi’s Castle before it was overdubbed in the US. I love the humor in the American version, but I can only guess at what sort of crazy stuff they were saying and laughing over in the original Japanese. Does anyone know if it’s even remotely close or completely 110% different but still whacky?

By: Satoru

Satoru — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:14:59 +0000

On a totally side note, I wonder if that other show “Hole in the Wall” is licensed? I saw one episode and I thought it lost a lot of the entertainment value the Japanese version had. At least the Russian version had hot chicks!

By: Satoru

Satoru — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:07:07 +0000

I had always assumed they gotten permission from TBS because it looked so much like SASUKE and Takeshi-jo. The last stage especially looks very similar to SASUKE (though as Jason noted the elimination format differs slightly). But from a purely visual perspective, it’s almost like they ripped off SASUKE entirely.

There are a few games in the preliminary rounds that do resemble the old Takeshi-jo series.

I don’t think the American Gladiators comparison applies in that they are complaining that both the format and visual similarities are so common. Again I thought they had licensed SASUKE and Takeshi-jo because they looked very similar. It is also 0% likely that they producers just happened to think up a show that looked so similar on their own.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:28:36 +0000

You know, when I saw the initial trailer for Wipeout, I immediately thought of Takeshi’s Castle. Mostly because of the spinning platform (which they only showed for the first time last week), and … something else that I don’t remember.

I don’t think the SASUKE infringement can be warranted, both for a technical reasons (falling isn’t elimination, best times and 1 winner vs. time limit and any possible number of winners, even if that’s not how it ends up), and the second that the courses are really on opposite ends of the spectrum in feasibility. Takeshi’s Castle is of course a different story just because the

If TBS can sue ABC for Wipeout, they can sue NBC for American Gladiators (read: eliminator).

By: nam

nam — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:52:13 +0000

I used to work for these kind of job.
the TV station is responsible for applying to JASRAC for permission to use, and they’re paying the fees.
And JASRAC pays money to the copyright holder.

By: Niels

Niels — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:24:55 +0000

Probably, yes, as these soundtracks also have a license holder in Japan and it’s easy and cheap to acquire the license for this type of music to be used as background music.
It’s much harder and much, much, more expensive to actually license an entire TV show or film
(I am in the licensing business, so I do know what I am talking about).

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:49:28 +0000

I always wondered if Japanese variety shows hold licenses to some of the background music they use for their productions. I’ve heard pieces from the Matrix, Backdraft (the whole iron chef show used the soundtrack from Backdraft), etc.

By: onceuponatime

onceuponatime — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:36:34 +0000

copying dialogue? the shows here are in english??? the show there is in japanese??? anyway – if you want to talk about copying…….there is enough here to keep lawyers busy in numerous countries. hey -how about them doctor shows here? a rip off of ER? Chicago Hope?

By: Mister M

Mister M — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:00:08 +0000

nothing new, copycat is illegal anyway.

By: Mister M

Mister M — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:59:29 +0000

Man!!!!!!!!!!What your opinions have to do with copycats?