By Kim Tae-jong
Who is the real creator of “Pororo?”
Ocon, the production company of “Pororo the Little Penguin,” the nation’s representative animated character, filed a copyright suit Tuesday against its partner Iconix Entertainment which handles planning and marketing of the character.
Ocon claims it is the original creator of Pororo and accused its partner of having violated its copyrights. It claims that Iconix Entertainment has acted as if it were the original creator and even received awards given by the government.
“They have infringed upon our rights and damaged our reputation,” Ocon said in a statement. “We know the suit can have a negative impact on the animation, but we can’t put up with their illegal practices anymore.”
Ocon said the design team and filming director of the company developed the first four episodes in the first season, which serves as the basis of the animated series.
The two companies agreed to produce and sell animated films in 2002 with Ocon in charge of character design and animation production and Iconix Entertainment responsible for planning and marketing.
Since debuting in 2003, the 3D animation has become wildly popular among children in Korea, so popular that its main character Pororo is dubbed “Potongnyeong,” short for “president of children” in Korean. It has been sold to 90 other countries including the U.K. and France.
Currently, the animation’s copyright is shared by four companies ― Ocon, Iconix Entertainment, SK Broadband and the Education Broadcasting System (EBS) which airs the animation series here.
Based on the character’s popularity, the four companies are also engaged in the development and sales of Pororo-branded goods.
Regarding the lawsuit, Iconix Entertainment said they have never promoted themselves as the sole creator of the animation as they acknowledged the copyright of the animation is now shared by four companies.
“It’s wrong to say that Ocon is the original and sole creator of the animation, because Iconix Entertainment also participated in the production of the animation in such work as storyboarding and post-production,” a company official said.