Cannes Film Festival premiere caught in legal battle

"Colossal," Voltage's Cannes Film Festival premiere, is embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit over 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 that "Colossal" would be the cheapest Godzilla film ever made.

Godzilla monster image 2014.

In the same complaint, Toho accused the "Colossal" filmmakers 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 Godzilla to attract attention to "Colossal," making the film stand out in a context with many competitors.

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

Another detail mentioned in the lawsuit is the image of the Japanese 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 the monster Godzilla in the movie of the same name, which is copyrighted by Toho.

According to Vietnam+