A Spider-Man’s image on a crocheted kippa is the centre of a trademark and copyright infringement case in Israel.
Kippa Man, Jerusalem’s landmark kippa store on the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall, was informed that it is being sued by Marvel Comics for selling unlicensed Spider-Man merchandise: a kippot with Spidey’s image.
Marvel’s attorney states: “A reasonable consumer could be fooled into thinking that the infringing product is manufactured and/or sold by the [Kippa Man] with the knowledge and/or approval of [Marvel]”. Representatives of Marvel visited the store earlier this year, to buy the allegedly infringing kippot.
Kippa Man owner’s reply is short: “They make them in China, I just bring them”. “There are 20 stores on this street, they all sell the same thing”. He claims that Marvel targeted his store because his business is the most well-known.
Kippa Man isn’t the only bad kid in school. Dozens of shops sell piles of kippot that feature popular superheroes, including Spider-Man. They also feature other registered trademarks, including Starbucks, Apple, Pringles, Superman, BMW, all the major football, basketball and soccer teams.
The owner has now removed all of his Spider-Man kippot, pending the outcome of the lawsuit, though other stores have not.
Kippa Man versus Spider-Man: this is a superhero battle MarkMatters.com loves to see. Although the outcome may be predictable. Kippa Man will eventually get caught in Spidey’s web.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
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