Cannes Film Festival premiere entangled in legal battle

"Colossal," Voltage's Cannes Film Festival premiere, is embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit for its unauthorized use of the character Godzilla.

In a complaint filed in a California state court on May 19, Toho - the Japanese company that holds the copyright to the "Godzilla" series - claimed that the filmmakers of "Colossal" produced, advertised, and offered for sale a Godzilla film without permission.

The company included in the lawsuit an August 2014 interview with director and screenwriter Nacho Vigalondo, in which Vigalondo claimed "Colossal" would be the cheapest Godzilla film ever made.

Godzilla monster image in 2014.

In the same complaint, Toho accused the filmmakers of "Colossal" of sending a series of emails on May 9 to potential investors, sales agents and distributors to promote "Colossal"; and criticized Voltage for intentionally using the image of the Godzilla character to attract attention to "Colossal," making the film stand out in a context of many competitors.

Toho also accused Voltage of frequent copyright infringement. The company, owned by producer Nicolas Chartier, was sued for copyright infringement in the 2010 Oscar-winning film "The Hurt Locker" and four years later in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Another detail mentioned in the lawsuit is the image of Japan's capital Tokyo being attacked by Godzilla, printed on promotional flyers and posters for "Colossal" at the Cannes Film Festival.

The movie "Colossal" stars Anne Hathaway as a woman who suddenly realizes that her mind is strangely linked to a giant lizard that is destroying Tokyo. However, this lizard looks very similar to Godzilla in the movie of the same name, which is copyrighted by Toho company.

According to Vietnam+