Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

The Intellectual Property StrategistKickerFeaturesTopicsLitigationSectionsNewsLJN Newsletters

Crayon Shinchan

By Vincent J. Poppiti and Mian R. Wang
June 28, 2012

Few people in the United States are likely to have heard of Crayon Shinchan, but this Japanese comic-book character is ubiquitous in China. Created in 1992 by Yoshito Usui and published in Japan by Futabasha Publishers Ltd., the comic book chronicles the antics of a high-spirited five-year-old boy, Shinchan, who is prone to indecent public exposure, propositioning older women, and peeking up women's skirts. The story line combines the mischievousness of “Calvin and Hobbes” with the crude humor of “South Park” and is widely received in Japan. Shinchan's popularity eventually invited trademark squatters in China.

By 1994, adoration for Shinchan had spread from Japan to Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 1996, anticipating Shinchan's inevitable entrance to mainland China, Guangzhou Chengyi Eyeglass Co. Ltd. (“Chengyi”) became the first to use Shinchan's image and name to register a series of trademarks in China. Thus began a legal battle implicating Futabasha's copyrights and trademark rights over the incorrigible five-year-old.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes Image

“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.