Giant Robot Lawsuit
By Pankaj Ladhar of Manos • Alwine P.L.
For many musicians, their stage presence during live performances constitutes an important part of their artistic expression and identity. Musicians may work hard, or even paint themselves blue, to develop a signature stage identity when they perform. This distinctive persona developed during their live performances factors strongly into the branding for many acts and is crucial to their marketing and merchandising efforts.
Now one Florida musician has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit claiming that another business enterprise has tried to cash in from his popular on-stage persona by simply copying his signature costume. The musician, Andrew Moore, performs his club music onstage as Kryoman. The costume is a nine foot tall robot covered in lights and wielding laser gun in each hand.
According to the Florida lawsuit, Moore claims that another entertainment company had approached him to perform at one of their shows in Miami. Moore decided not to take the gig. He claims that the other company then simply decided to build a copy of Kryoman character to perform at their shows. Moore is seeking substantial damages as part of his lawsuit.
It can be frustrating when music and artistic expression gets tangled up in court. Of course anyone would rather spend all of their time on stage or in a recording studio rather than worrying about lawsuits. But from time to time situations beyond our control can require attention. This could be the discovery that someone else is profiting improperly from your hard work, or that another entertainer alleges that you are benefiting from their work. Either way it can be reassuring to know that help is available; help that will allow you to focus on your music rather than legal paperwork.
Source: TMZ, “There Can Be Only One Giant Electronic Robot,” Jan, 1, 2011