Sonichu Non-infringing Sonichu

[alex_theman]

While Sonichu is a total rip-off, it's not like Sonic himself was a particularly original character. Games from the 90s are full of those "cartoon animal WITH ATTITUDE" characters. Really, for most of it, all you'd need to do is change the names of things. The result would still be hugely derivative, but so is a lot of entertainment out there.

Sonic was the first of that breed of characters, so it is kinda like saying Dupin is a rip-off of Sherlock Holmes.

 

[Trilby]

Sonichu #2 notes
Page 7

• Heh, is Chris (unintentionally) mocking Sonic's goofy mono-eye? Like with the "see from my perspective" frames? (Not copyright related, just funny.)

This is probably the closest we have of the proper definition for"parody" in Sonichu itself. Chris likes to say this is a parody, but for one to work, it usually has to be critique of the original. Making a joke about Sonic's double-yoke style eyes would definitely qualify as a parody in that sense, but Chris barely ever brings up the familiar flaws and other things related to the original Pokemon and Sonic games (since he enjoys them anyway). He's not going to say anything we already know of those games or other associated medias over the years.

Chris seems very adamant about "George Lucasing" his beloved Sonichu comic, all for the purpose of removing copyright issues. The tricky part here is taking the main character (who is very obviously a recolor of sonic, with the description of being an electric hedgehog pokemon) and changing everything about him. His origin, name, species, attacks, and looks are all a derivative of pre-established intelectual property that Chris doesn't own.

I'm sure it is difficult to even muster up any courage to redesign a character like Sonichu that would in itself be non-infringing, yet original enough to be 'owned' by Chris and only Chris. I don't mind him being a hedgehog anyway, just not one drawn like Sonic (or in that look).

Don't let Chris tell you otherwise, but Rosechu is a carbon copy of Amy Rose.

Pretty much just a change in outfits and nothing else!

I'm not saying its impossible, but requires a good amount of creativity to retcon Sonichu into being a truly "original" work. And knowing Chris's track record with being creative, I don't see it happening.

This is what Sonichu would have to look like to avoid copyright infringement

http://www.bitstrips.com/series/G618/?subsection=0&page=6

Nice pants on Sonichu!

While Sonichu is a total rip-off, it's not like Sonic himself was a particularly original character. Games from the 90s are full of those "cartoon animal WITH ATTITUDE" characters. Really, for most of it, all you'd need to do is change the names of things. The result would still be hugely derivative, but so is a lot of entertainment out there.

It would. I remember comic book artist Scott Shaw! once said he thought Sonic was the love child of Betty Boop and Felix the Cat when he first saw the character. His body is derived from that simple, early look of animated cartoon when simplifying shapes as circles and lines was the way to get it animated effectively with no concern over proper anatomy or plausible movements.

I did consider writing a Sonichu fanfic that would basically be an attempt to rewrite the whole thing without copyright problems. The idea I had was that the creatures would be "Chus," funny little four-foot tall furry creatures, each of which has their own special power. Then I realised I'd wasted an hour trying to write fanfic based on an awful webcomic and sat with a shotgun in my mouth for the rest of the evening.

How I felt too!

Sonic was the first of that breed of characters, so it is kinda like saying Dupin is a rip-off of Sherlock Holmes.

Certainly Sonic was the start of that trend in creating games around animals that acted as mascots for game companies like Bubsy or maybe Ardy Lightfoot. Reminded Tecmo had one as well, though he just appeared as the logo character in the 1980's and never saw the light of day in his own video game.

 

[Trueselfbiggie]

As a law student, I can't wait to take IP courses for the sole purpose of going through these comics and evaluating it.

 

[Trilby]

As a law student, I can't wait to take IP courses for the sole purpose of going through these comics and evaluating it.

Bet that would be a field day to enjoy!

 

[Trueselfbiggie]

It's gonna be good!

 

[Marvin]

This is probably the closest we have of the proper definition for"parody" in Sonichu itself. Chris likes to say this is a parody, but for one to work, it usually has to be critique of the original. Making a joke about Sonic's double-yoke style eyes would definitely qualify as a parody in that sense, but Chris barely ever brings up the familiar flaws and other things related to the original Pokemon and Sonic games (since he enjoys them anyway). He's not going to say anything we already know of those games or other associated medias over the years.

Oh yeah, Chris doesn't know what a parody is. Family Guy is the closest frame of reference he's got.

I'm sure it is difficult to even muster up any courage to redesign a character like Sonichu that would in itself be non-infringing, yet original enough to be 'owned' by Chris and only Chris. I don't mind him being a hedgehog anyway, just not one drawn like Sonic (or in that look).

Actually, I'd go the opposite route. Largely keep Sonichu's look the same but make him not a hedgehog in canon.

Like, Sonic's visual design isn't that unique. He's got a standard cartoon animal body with some spikes and shoes tacked on. That's about it.

If Sonichu wasn't a hedgehog in canon, and you changed up his design a little, he'd be fine.

Like, this is the origin story I'd write: Sonichu was originally a rabbit named Faggy. Faggy the rabbit. One day he was eating a banana, when he heard some commotion nearby. The little rabbit wandered over with his banana when he happened upon two sorcerers having an epic battle. There was magic and lighting and lots of sound effects, set to some totally epic music. Faggy accidentally gets zapped by one of the sorcerers and he merges with his banana, turning him into Sonichu, the electric banana rabbit. He intervenes in the battle and then something happens, I don't know. Cue the rest of the comic.

Oh man, and the rest of the chaotic combo are all different kinds of fruits merged with varying rodents. Punchy needs to be some sort of exotic asian fruit.

 

[Trilby]

Oh yeah, Chris doesn't know what a parody is. Family Guy is the closest frame of reference he's got.

True, and he certainly isn't saying anything bad the stuff he spoofs since he doesn't have that frame of reference to know how to do it right (again, that random access humor crap). He's not going to mock a certain game like Sonic '06 but I'm sure he saw nothing wrong in it at all.

Actually, I'd go the opposite route. Largely keep Sonichu's look the same but make him not a hedgehog in canon.

Like, Sonic's visual design isn't that unique. He's got a standard cartoon animal body with some spikes and shoes tacked on. That's about it.

If Sonichu wasn't a hedgehog in canon, and you changed up his design a little, he'd be fine.

I see you're point here. If Sonichu was basically its own species that's not a hedgehog (or a Pokemon), that could work very well.

Like, this is the origin story I'd write: Sonichu was originally a rabbit named Faggy. Faggy the rabbit. One day he was eating a banana, when he heard some commotion nearby. The little rabbit wandered over with his banana when he happened upon two sorcerers having an epic battle. There was magic and lighting and lots of sound effects, set to some totally epic music.

Perfect set-up!

Faggy accidentally gets zapped by one of the sorcerers and he merges with his banana, turning him into Sonichu, the electric banana rabbit. He intervenes in the battle and then something happens, I don't know. Cue the rest of the comic.

Now that's how you hook an audience. That "Electric Banana Rabbit" just seals it perfectly!

Oh man, and the rest of the chaotic combo are all different kinds of fruits merged with varying rodents.

Now there's merchandising opportunities right there! I don't think anyone has ever done anything like that yet.

Punchy needs to be some sort of exotic asian fruit.

I bet.

 

[Marvin]

True, and he certainly isn't saying anything bad the stuff he spoofs since he doesn't have that frame of reference to know how to do it right (again, that random access humor crap). He's not going to mock a certain game like Sonic '06 but I'm sure he saw nothing wrong in it at all.

Chris' understanding of parody is very funny. Chris didn't know that parody implies mockery until trolls mentioned it to him. And on top of that, even when we told him that, he didn't understand that you need to mock your subject.

Drawing Sonic doing something comedic isn't really parody (on its own). You need to mock Sonic himself.

So we asked Chris about what he's making of fun of in Sonic, and it confused the hell out of him. He was like "... why would I mock Sonic?"

I don't remember the specifics though. @Alec Benson Leary might remember what I'm talking about.

 

[Trilby]

Chris' understanding of parody is very funny. Chris didn't know that parody implies mockery until trolls mentioned it to him. And on top of that, even when we told him that, he didn't understand that you need to mock your subject.

Drawing Sonic doing something comedic isn't really parody (on its own). You need to mock Sonic himself.

So we asked Chris about what he's making of fun of in Sonic, and it confused the hell out of him. He was like "... why would I mock Sonic?"

Oh boy.

I don't remember the specifics though. @Alec Benson Leary might remember what I'm talking about.

I bet he does!

 

[Asperchewy]

Love how at the bottom of page 21 (pokemon tcg ad) it says "copyrighted March 200-2005" did the lumberjack get him that copyright shortly after the big bang?

 

[Trilby]

Love how at the bottom of page 21 (pokemon tcg ad) it says "copyrighted March 200-2005" did the lumberjack get him that copyright shortly after the big bang?

Again, shame he never proofreads.

 

[Sperglord Dante]

Oh man, and the rest of the chaotic combo are all different kinds of fruits merged with varying rodents. Punchy needs to be some sort of exotic asian fruit.

Blake should be retconed into a black rat/wadamelon hybrid, then.

 

[Tragi-Chan]

Actually, I'd go the opposite route. Largely keep Sonichu's look the same but make him not a hedgehog in canon.

Like, Sonic's visual design isn't that unique. He's got a standard cartoon animal body with some spikes and shoes tacked on. That's about it.

If Sonichu wasn't a hedgehog in canon, and you changed up his design a little, he'd be fine.

As @Trilby pointed out, Sonic himself has been described as having strong elements of Felix the Cat in his design. When that character first became popular, there were loads of rip-offs. All the other studios had to do was draw a black-and-white figure with a huge head and rubbery limbs, change the ears and maybe the nose and yell "ORIGINAL CHARACTER DO NOT STEAL." Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Bosko, Bimbo, even Mickey Mouse all originated this way (despite Disney's bullshit claims otherwise).

What I'm getting at, via cartoon history sperging, is that it's surprisingly easy to create an "original character" that won't get you into too much trouble. Howard the Duck started out as a visual parody of Donald Duck, but when Disney complained, all Marvel had to do was change his outfit and they were fine.

Oh man, and the rest of the chaotic combo are all different kinds of fruits merged with varying rodents. Punchy needs to be some sort of exotic asian fruit.

Durian. It's spiky, it's Asian, it can be red. It also notoriously reeks so badly that it's banned in many public places, so that could be an exciting new power for Punchy (Pungent?).

Chris' understanding of parody is very funny. Chris didn't know that parody implies mockery until trolls mentioned it to him. And on top of that, even when we told him that, he didn't understand that you need to mock your subject.

Drawing Sonic doing something comedic isn't really parody (on its own). You need to mock Sonic himself.

So we asked Chris about what he's making of fun of in Sonic, and it confused the hell out of him. He was like "... why would I mock Sonic?"

I wonder if Chris could actually bring himself to parody Sonic properly. Probably Chris' most famous quality (in terms of media attention) is that he can't deal with people doing things to Sonic that he doesn't like. I recall an actual parody of Sonic on YouTube which depicted Sonic going so fast that he flew into the sun, and Chris got pissed off about that. I think the approximate equivalent for a normal person would be if you called their mother a slut or something. In a sense, it comes down to the fact that Chris treats Sonic as a real person, and he's afraid of causing offence.

 

[AnOminous]

I wonder if Chris could actually bring himself to parody Sonic properly. Probably Chris' most famous quality (in terms of media attention) is that he can't deal with people doing things to Sonic that he doesn't like. I recall an actual parody of Sonic on YouTube which depicted Sonic going so fast that he flew into the sun, and Chris got pissed off about that. I think the approximate equivalent for a normal person would be if you called their mother a slut or something. In a sense, it comes down to the fact that Chris treats Sonic as a real person, and he's afraid of causing offence.

I don't think he really gets the idea of parody.

 

[Dr. Tremolo]

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that Chris doesn't get parody.
He also thought that parodies in the way everyone else but him does are inherently negative and an affront. In reality, while parodies mock the source material they're more often than not made people who love the original. Mel Brooks certainly didn't make Spaceballs because he despised Star Wars.

 

[Trilby]

As @Trilby pointed out, Sonic himself has been described as having strong elements of Felix the Cat in his design. When that character first became popular, there were loads of rip-offs. All the other studios had to do was draw a black-and-white figure with a huge head and rubbery limbs, change the ears and maybe the nose and yell "ORIGINAL CHARACTER DO NOT STEAL." Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Bosko, Bimbo, even Mickey Mouse all originated this way (despite Disney's bullshit claims otherwise).

Pretty much how I felt. That history certainly comes into play when you notice the evolution that occured from Felix to Mickey and beyond.

Durian. It's spiky, it's Asian, it can be red. It also notoriously reeks so badly that it's banned in many public places, so that could be an exciting new power for Punchy (Pungent?).

That would be an improvement to give us a guy who's pugent stench solves everything than he could ever try with his fists.

I wonder if Chris could actually bring himself to parody Sonic properly. Probably Chris' most famous quality (in terms of media attention) is that he can't deal with people doing things to Sonic that he doesn't like. I recall an actual parody of Sonic on YouTube which depicted Sonic going so fast that he flew into the sun, and Chris got pissed off about that. I think the approximate equivalent for a normal person would be if you called their mother a slut or something. In a sense, it comes down to the fact that Chris treats Sonic as a real person, and he's afraid of causing offence.

I bet. Not that he couldn't crap on one of Sonic's pals he doesn't give a shit over like Knuckles.

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that Chris doesn't get parody.
He also thought that parodies in the way everyone else but him does are inherently negative and an affront. In reality, while parodies mock the source material they're more often than not made people who love the original. Mel Brooks certainly didn't make Spaceballs because he despised Star Wars.

That is true. If only Chris knew how to do it right.

 

[Marvin]

As @Trilby pointed out, Sonic himself has been described as having strong elements of Felix the Cat in his design. When that character first became popular, there were loads of rip-offs. All the other studios had to do was draw a black-and-white figure with a huge head and rubbery limbs, change the ears and maybe the nose and yell "ORIGINAL CHARACTER DO NOT STEAL." Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Bosko, Bimbo, even Mickey Mouse all originated this way (despite Disney's bullshit claims otherwise).

What I'm getting at, via cartoon history sperging, is that it's surprisingly easy to create an "original character" that won't get you into too much trouble. Howard the Duck started out as a visual parody of Donald Duck, but when Disney complained, all Marvel had to do was change his outfit and they were fine.

Oh yeah. Companies really puff up the uniqueness of their symbols. Children's cartoons especially, because they're working with a restricted medium. Compare Crash Bandicoot and Taz. They both have that same neckless mono-body thing going on, they're both marsupials from Australia (or thereabouts), and they both have a spin attack. And all of that was pretty much coincidental.

Heh, this is pretty much how I imagine cartoon characters being conceived:

Durian. It's spiky, it's Asian, it can be red. It also notoriously reeks so badly that it's banned in many public places, so that could be an exciting new power for Punchy (Pungent?).

Punchy's power will be just to rip ass and empty the room.

I wonder if Chris could actually bring himself to parody Sonic properly. Probably Chris' most famous quality (in terms of media attention) is that he can't deal with people doing things to Sonic that he doesn't like. I recall an actual parody of Sonic on YouTube which depicted Sonic going so fast that he flew into the sun, and Chris got pissed off about that. I think the approximate equivalent for a normal person would be if you called their mother a slut or something. In a sense, it comes down to the fact that Chris treats Sonic as a real person, and he's afraid of causing offence.

I think it'd be something like where Chris was pretending to be a troll, but just ended up complimenting himself a lot.

"Man, that Sonic is such a weirdo! He's like perfect, lol! He doesn't even have a single fault! What's up with that?? 'Durrr! I'm Sonic, I'm perfect and awesome and cool!' LAME!"