Hasbro shuts down “G.I. Joe: The Epic Saga” site
by Doc on Jun.05, 2006, under General News
Anonymous Coward writes “WHEN DID PLAYING WITH TOYS ON THE INTERNET BECOME ILLEGAL?
On May 30th 2006, Benny and Rafi Fine received a ?Cease & Desist? letter from Hasbro, Inc.. The company demanded they take their popular Internet series ?G.I. Joe: The Epic Saga? off of their website at RavenStake.com for the use of Hasbro?s action figures and logos which constitutes copyright infringement.
The letter states the videos must be taken down by June 9th, 2006 at 5pm EST, and the Brothers plan to comply. In a time that Internet rights are such an issue, the shutting down of the series only strengthens fears that the web is not a place for free expression. If the Fine Brothers? toy-size comedy satire is at risk, where they made no monetary gain, then what is next.
?G.I. Joe: The Epic Saga? is a trilogy of feature films split up into mini-series format to accommodate the online community. It stars figures from G.I. Joe, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and more. The series had been running for one year, and two of the three feature films were released before the letter was received. To the dismay of the films? fans, it appears the third film will not be allowed to see release.
The videos can be seen until June 9th, 2006 at http://www.RavenStake.com/gijoe
The Cease and Desist Letter from Hasbro: http://www.RavenStake.com/desist.pdf“