The Naked Truth About Knights, Avengers, And A Human Bowling Ball
Good news, fans of law and order: it’s time for more loopy lawsuits!
I do a monthly cartoon for Inside Counsel Magazine, for a feature called Strange Suits. They send me short summaries of four cases, I rough out a sketch for each, they
pick the one they like best.
The latest winner involved two rival companies specializing in dinner theater adventures. Both companies have knight-themed shows: diners eat a medieval meal while watching Camelot-era knights perform various feats of derring-do. But all is not chivalrous: one company is suing the other for copying its plots, costumes, and meals.
Suits of armor immediately sprang to mind, then I thought of all those brave knights who were constantly rescuing fair maidens from fire-breathing dragons. Here’s the final:
One of the other cases involved two companies battling over the trademark “Naked.” Urban Decay sells a line of cosmetics under the brand name Naked. Victoria’s Secret has a line of undergarments called The Nakeds, and recently introduced a cosmetic line, also called The Nakeds. Urban Decay claimed trademark violation, Victoria’s Secret then sued Urban Decay, claiming the word naked was too broad for trademark protection.
I didn’t have to think too hard about this one.
Rimowa, a German luggage manufacturer, has sued Marvel Studios to prevent the release of a special Blu-ray edition of its hit movie The Avengers. The problem: Marvel packaged the collection in a replica of a Rimowa attache briefcase used by a character in the movie. Rimowa claims Marvel never received permission to use its design.
I thought it might be helpful to drag all The Avengers into court, and what judge wouldn’t want to use Thor’s hammer for a gavel? How that mouse got on the jury, I’ll never know.
And then there was the radio show intern who agreed to be a human bowling ball in a stunt at a hockey game. He agreed to sit on a sled and be launched across the ice at some giant bowling pins. Unfortunately, he crashed into the boards and broke his ankle, and is now suing the hockey team for $25,000.
Unusual combination, hockey and bowling– but I gave it my best shot:
And finally, here’s the original rough sketch for the knights-and-dragon cartoon:
What do you think? Do you enjoy a good sword fight with your dinner? Would you have signed on for the gig as a human bowling ball? Hope you’ll leave a comment.
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