Zombies - as copyrighted by George A. Romero and The MKR Group, apparently.
Capcom is feeling just a little bit worried about zombies at the moment, with The MKR Group claiming that Capcom's
Dead Rising is violating the copyrights of George Romero's
Dawn of the Dead.
Apparently Romero invented the idea of zombies in a shopping centre and then passed the trademark on to The MKR Group.
Noting the similarities between
Dead Rising and
Dawn of the Dead, MKR has apparently been nagging Capcom for a good long while according to
Kotaku. Previously, MKR forced Capcom to put a disclaimer on the box stating that; "
This game was not developed, approved or licensed by the owners or creators of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead"
The two companies have been in discussions since the release of the game apparently and things are now reaching boiling point. MKR has sent a letter to Capcom, one which was allegedly also sent to Microsoft and Best Buy, complaining that the game is on legally shaky ground.
Capcom, obviously a bit shaken at this, has released a statement saying that they believe that "
humans battling zombies in a shopping mall is a wholly unprotectible idea." I think it's best if you say it in a Samuel L. Jackson voice.
Capcom is seeking a declaratory judgement to prove this before the case is bought before a judge.
Should Capcom be worried, or is MKR clutching at straws? Let us know what you think in
the forums.
You are in a empty shopping center with all the stuff you will ever need. And still those stupids manage to let the zombies in en let them selfs killed. If I would be in this movie, it would still be playing like a real live soap for ages.
(RE Series) Game + Zombies = Fine
(still thinking on this one) Game + Shopping Mall setting = Fine
(eight legged freaks) Film + Mutant Spiders + Shopping Mall = Fine
(Dead Rising) Game + Zombies + Shopping Mall setting = Not Fine
It was actually a flymo. :p
He is the inventor of "Zombies" as we know them today. If it were not for Night of the Living Dead we would still be reffering to Zombies as a voodoo ritual.
Capcom needs to make a deal with MKR to make Dawn of the Dead into Dead Rising 2.
It is not fair to Romero that he has to travel around the country to horror festivals and sign autographs to make a living. He's a really nice guy and has made barely anything off of Night of the Living Dead due to copyright issues although he has made many people rich, whom have taken his concept.
His work is original ( even though I'm iffy about Diary of the dead and hated Land ), but Dawn of the Dead
is still on just about everybody who matters, top horror movie list of all time (*including Steven King).
simple solution
Dead Rising 2 : Dawn of the Dead.
If they make Dawn of the Dead `78 ( not the remake ) into a video game, it will sell twice as many copies as Dead Rising- GUARANTEED.
Make it the exact storyline of Peter and Roger except with a few extras, add some creepy Goblin-esque music, with a seventies film grain degredation to make it look like the movie when you watch it on Blu-Ray on a nice TV.
Both MKR and Capcom will come out on top if they do this. The Essence of a Romero film has never been truely captured or met it's full potential ( although many have tried ) in a video game. Capcom has enough skill to do achieve this.
The zombie community is VERY VERY close and VERY VERY infatuated and will do whatever it takes to be able to relive the scenario- including buying a system they don't already own as well as special edition box sets. Hell, they would buy the game even if they didn't even plan on buying the system - it will be double platinum in Italy and Spain alone, much less the rest of the world. If you don't believe me, follow the success of Left 4 Dead when it comes out.
They Owe it to Romero. They cannot deny that the Resident Evil Series was not partly inspired by his work. If you compare the shot composition of the first game for PS1 with Dawn `78 ( Directors cut ) you will see the similarities.
Capcom skill + Romeroesque Direction = Beat GTA4 in sales worldwide
Bridge the Gap and work together