'Studio stands up against Swiss manufacturer of 'Harry Popper' condoms for copyright infringement
Ian Brooks - guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 August 2010
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire … Warner Bros is standing firm against the condom manufacturer
It's the boy wizard as you've never seen him before. He has the trademark round spectacles and the regulation magic wand. But his tongue is extended in a lascivious manner and his thoughts are purely carnal. For good measure, he is in the guise of a pink, pimpled prophylactic.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone is amused. Warner Bros this week sued the Swiss manufacturer of the "Harry Popper" condoms for copyright infringement. "The image of my client is in danger," a studio lawyer complained to the Swiss newspaper Bote. "This is clearly a reference to the film and fictional character of Harry Potter. Everyone who sees the condoms automatically thinks of Harry Potter." The Harry Popper condoms have reportedly been on sale since 2006.
The Harry Potter brand is worth an estimated £15bn and lawyers for both Warner Bros and author JK Rowling have earned a reputation for protecting their product. In 2008, the studio launched a similar lawsuit against a Hindi-language Bollywood production, Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors. The suit was eventually thrown out by an Indian court.
For the time being, condom manufacturers Magic X are standing firm. "Our product has nothing to do with Harry Potter," claimed a spokesperson for the company.
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