Source in Norwegian.
Okay, maybe a little bit of explanation is in order. This case has been going back and forth in Norwegian media for the last year-and-a-half or so, but I haven't found time/remembered to publish anything about it here until now.
So, this is Il Tempo Extra Gigante, a coaster at Hunderfossen Familiepark in Norway:
The coaster itself is nothing special, it's a Zierer ESC535, but the train and theme of the coaster is a matter of some controversy.
Il Tempo Gigante is a racecar featured in the Norwegian blockbuster animation movie Flåklypa Grand Prix from 1975, known in English as Pinchcliffe Grand Prix. The movie is, by an order of magnitude or so, the biggest commercial success in Norwegian film history, having sold more cinema tickets than there are inhabitants in Norway. It means that on average, every person living in Norway has seen the movie more than once, which isn't an unreasonable assumption to make in practise either. Everybody knows Flåklypa Grand Prix over here. No exceptions. Despite being directed by an Italian, Ivo Caprino, and its music being composed by a Dane, the movie is considered a Norwegian national treasure.
However, Hunderfossen Familiepark does not have a deal with the movie's production studio, Caprino Studios. What they do have is a deal with the legacy of Kjell Aukrust, whose works the movie is based on. Il Tempo Gigante was first featured in one of Aukrust's sketch books, and was therefore not considered a part of Caprino Studios' IP by the Aukrust Heritage Foundation:
So, following the deal the park had with Aukrust's descendants, Hunderfossen decided to build a coaster themed to the iconic car. It opened in 2014 and was a hit with the park goers, but Caprino Studios was not amused. Ivo Caprino's son, Remo Caprino, argued that the racecar owned its iconic status to Flåklypa Grand Prix, that it would have been really obscure if not for the movie, and that the park was violating Caprino Studios' IP by building and marketing the coaster. They demanded compensation, and that the coaster be taken down. Caprino Studios also own a famous, functioning full-scale model of Il Tempo Gigante, which was displayed at Hunderfossen Familiepark until this dispute began. They argued that the coaster's likeness was based more on this model, and the imagery from the movies, than the sketch by Aukrust (which the models were also based on, to be fair).
The matter was taken to court. In the District Court, Hunderfossen won, and was allowed to keep the coaster. Caprino Studios appealed to the Court of Appeal, and won that case. Hunderfossen then appealed to the Supreme Court, which made its decision today. Il Tempo Gigante is a part of Aukrust's heritage, and can not be claimed by Caprino Studios. Caprino Studios have to pay the court expenses of NOK 1.1 million (£100,000 or so), plus NOK 300,000 to the park. Had the park lost the case, it is likely that the coaster would have had to change its name and get new trains, with a loss of money and marketability thereafter.
However, the dispute over marketing is still not completely settled. The coaster was once marketed with something like "Ride the car from the movie", which isn't entirely okay by the IP laws. Nothing but money is at stake there, though, so whether or not the park wins that case, the coaster will remain standing.
Not much to discuss here, to be honest, but I think the news deserved to be recounted here, at the very least. Especially since the Supreme Court got involved and all.
P.S.: Go see the movie, it's great. Don't take my word for that, the IMDB score of 8.4 (based on 10,500 reviews, although probably mostly from Norway) puts it on par with Wall-E, and far above any other stop motion animated movie in the database, or for that matter any animated movies that aren't Studio Ghibli or Disney's Lion King.
Okay, maybe a little bit of explanation is in order. This case has been going back and forth in Norwegian media for the last year-and-a-half or so, but I haven't found time/remembered to publish anything about it here until now.
So, this is Il Tempo Extra Gigante, a coaster at Hunderfossen Familiepark in Norway:
The coaster itself is nothing special, it's a Zierer ESC535, but the train and theme of the coaster is a matter of some controversy.
Il Tempo Gigante is a racecar featured in the Norwegian blockbuster animation movie Flåklypa Grand Prix from 1975, known in English as Pinchcliffe Grand Prix. The movie is, by an order of magnitude or so, the biggest commercial success in Norwegian film history, having sold more cinema tickets than there are inhabitants in Norway. It means that on average, every person living in Norway has seen the movie more than once, which isn't an unreasonable assumption to make in practise either. Everybody knows Flåklypa Grand Prix over here. No exceptions. Despite being directed by an Italian, Ivo Caprino, and its music being composed by a Dane, the movie is considered a Norwegian national treasure.
However, Hunderfossen Familiepark does not have a deal with the movie's production studio, Caprino Studios. What they do have is a deal with the legacy of Kjell Aukrust, whose works the movie is based on. Il Tempo Gigante was first featured in one of Aukrust's sketch books, and was therefore not considered a part of Caprino Studios' IP by the Aukrust Heritage Foundation:
So, following the deal the park had with Aukrust's descendants, Hunderfossen decided to build a coaster themed to the iconic car. It opened in 2014 and was a hit with the park goers, but Caprino Studios was not amused. Ivo Caprino's son, Remo Caprino, argued that the racecar owned its iconic status to Flåklypa Grand Prix, that it would have been really obscure if not for the movie, and that the park was violating Caprino Studios' IP by building and marketing the coaster. They demanded compensation, and that the coaster be taken down. Caprino Studios also own a famous, functioning full-scale model of Il Tempo Gigante, which was displayed at Hunderfossen Familiepark until this dispute began. They argued that the coaster's likeness was based more on this model, and the imagery from the movies, than the sketch by Aukrust (which the models were also based on, to be fair).
The matter was taken to court. In the District Court, Hunderfossen won, and was allowed to keep the coaster. Caprino Studios appealed to the Court of Appeal, and won that case. Hunderfossen then appealed to the Supreme Court, which made its decision today. Il Tempo Gigante is a part of Aukrust's heritage, and can not be claimed by Caprino Studios. Caprino Studios have to pay the court expenses of NOK 1.1 million (£100,000 or so), plus NOK 300,000 to the park. Had the park lost the case, it is likely that the coaster would have had to change its name and get new trains, with a loss of money and marketability thereafter.
However, the dispute over marketing is still not completely settled. The coaster was once marketed with something like "Ride the car from the movie", which isn't entirely okay by the IP laws. Nothing but money is at stake there, though, so whether or not the park wins that case, the coaster will remain standing.
Not much to discuss here, to be honest, but I think the news deserved to be recounted here, at the very least. Especially since the Supreme Court got involved and all.
P.S.: Go see the movie, it's great. Don't take my word for that, the IMDB score of 8.4 (based on 10,500 reviews, although probably mostly from Norway) puts it on par with Wall-E, and far above any other stop motion animated movie in the database, or for that matter any animated movies that aren't Studio Ghibli or Disney's Lion King.
