Video game developers RC3 have a harmless little game called Joustin Beaver for sale on the App Store. It’s $US0.99, and it’s turned the teen heartthrob into a beaver. Something Justin Bieber’s attorneys aren’t very happy about.
Representatives of the Canadian pop star sent a cease-and-desist letter to RC3 over the title a few weeks back (the game’s been out since the beginning of the month), threatening legal action if the game wasn’t withdrawn for sale on the App Store.
Well, they’ve got their legal action, because RC3 are suing for their right to release Joustin Beaver.
Claiming the game is parody, and is thus protected by the First Amendment, RC3 want a judge to agree with their stance that the title, while appropriating some degree of likeness to Bieber, “doesn’t constitute misappropriation of Bieber’s name for commercial purposes”.
Which means, alongside other recent cases like those involving Electronic Arts, this could actually become an important litmus test to see just how protected video games can be under the US constitution following a landmark 2011 Supreme Court ruling.
Joustin Beaver is about a beaver, who looks as much like Bieber as a cartoon beaver can, floating down a river swatting paparazzi and signing autographs, all the while trying to avoid being sucked into the “whirlpool of success”
For their part, Bieber’s attorneys will be trying to prove that the game will confuse purchasers, tricking them into thinking it’s been officially endorsed by Bieber and his management.
Justin Bieber Sued By Creator of ‘Joustin’ Beaver’ Game [The Hollywood Reporter]
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