At NYCC, Archie Comics Editor in Chief Mike Pellerito said that the Penders legal challenge was ended with one phone call with Archie’s legal department. Today, Penders has released a statement on his website that “it’s not over”.
This will be short and sweet.
Contrary to claims made recently at the NYC Comic Con by Archie’s Mike Pellerito, I continue to maintain copyright ownership of characters I created and this issue has not been resolved.
My claim has merit and I continue to use every legal means at my disposal to protect and preserve my rights. It’s bizarre that Archie would make a public statement that indicates otherwise.
More later at the appropriate time.
Despite these claims, it should be noted that, according to research done by TSSZ, Penders has only been granted copyright ownership of one of his characters, Hershey the Cat. It should also be noted that many of the character’s he’s named in the past as falling under his copyright, he has not actually filed a copyright claim for. Archie has continued to release stories penned by Penders through it’s Archives series, most recently his most well known work “End Game Saga”, and will be featuring several Penders made characters it next month’s issue of Sonic the Hedgehog.
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@ccproject72
Agreed
Penders should just give up. He does not have a legal leg to stand on. Everything in the comic belongs to Sega.
“research done by TSSZ”
…is this some kind of oxymoron or something?
Looks like Ken doesn’t know when to give up. The fact that he thinks he has a chance of winning this in the first place is just silly.
@ccproject72
Also agreed. The guy needs to get over himself.
Doesn’t he have better things to do?
Ugh,still?
Again, this is like Oshima coming by and to forbid Sega to use Sonic.
He’s just like Total Drama’s Courtney! All that girl does when she’s eliminated is threaten to sue, and even SHE fails! Maybe Archie Comics SHOULD let Ken have his way. This way, we can properly write the characters he created out of the story, for good, and then, we can make it so that they never existed! And let’s face it. Knuckles isn’t important, anymore, so why even bother to use him? Shadow and Metal Sonic are better rivals for Sonic, anyways.
I’ve been taking a copyright law class. Ken ain’t got squat. He worked for hire under SEGA/Archie and as such, his characters no longer belong to him.
Case closed.
@YoshiAngemon, except knuckles isn’t a robot and doesn’t cut himself over bouts of amnesia
Any Sonic fan that once did like him probably won’t buy anything he makes out of protest. He’s cutting the cords of the bridge he stands on.
He seriously needs to quit menstruating over this…
suddes: Dude, Shadow’s past that. No more amnesia, no more robots, and no more cutting. (When has he actually cut himself anyway?) He’s the lone badass now.
Ken Penders is slowly turning into the Sonic version of Zed from Police Academy 2.
Yeah, but Zed was actually pretty cool.
Seriously, I don’t think Ken realizes he can copyrite characters like “Knuckles Mom,” “Pink girl Knuckles,” or “Robin Hood the Hedgehog.” Sega could easilly turn it around stating he’s infringing on their properties.
Plus, even if Ken wins, what good will all those Sonic comic-exclusive characters do him, if he can’t use the Sonic property to use them with?
He can’t just create his own comic series about “Locke the echidna,” or something without all the Sega ellements like Angel Island, the Master Emerald, and such.
Ken, really needs to let this go, and just let Sega & Archie be.
Seriously? This is a grown man and he’s still griping over his cartoon animal people?
Shouldnt he have considered his “rights” before making the characters for Archie?
Mr Penders needs to chill out, move on and create something better.
“it’s not over”
*facepalm*
What the heck is he upset about anyways? He doesn’t want SEGA/Archie to use his characters? Most people WOULD WANT that! That’s why they were created. So… what? He wants them to never be seen again so the fans of those characters can never see them ever again and muwahahahahaa???
He can’t make a comic of them on their own. They’re part of the Sonic franchise. Either he’s unable to use Sonic’s world or he’s unlable to use the characters because they’re part of the Sonic franchise! You can’t make a series of an echidna and hedgehog as a new series if it’s OBVISOULY Sonic-styled anthro characters. Then he could be sued.
It’d make more sense maybe if these were 100% original characters that had nothing to do with Sonic and were created for his own purposes. Then they’re his creations. But in this case it’s a freakin Sonic fan character made for a freaking Sonic fan fiction published by an official company with permission is all! XD
Here’s an idea: One last Sonic Universe 4-Parter, written by Penders, so that Knuckles will be the only surviving character out of those he created. This way, Knuckles will live with the guilt of being one of the last few Echidnas on Mobius. This way, he will HAVE to have feelings for Shade (provided she’s written into the story). Either that, or settle for Rouge. And the plausable excuse is that someone would go after those closest to Knuckles, and the only way to save them would be to send everyone else to another dimension, and that will be an excuse for Penders to use his characters in his own work, free from Archie.
Alright, could we please tone down the insults towards Penders here? I’ve deleted and edited the ones I’ve seen so far, but if they continue I’ll start tossing them all in the spam folder.
If Penders did have legal rights on his characters, SEGA could turn around and sue him because half of them are clones of Knuckles, then there are characters like Rob ‘O the Hedge who is just a clone of Sonic. Geoffrey St. john and Hershey might as well be Peppy Lepue and the Cat that Peppy Lepue always chases.
Killing off Locke was the best move Ian ever made, the comic has way too many characters that look like Knuckles.
What should their looks matter? That’s not a reason to kill off a supporting character.
Seriously penders? Jetstream has told me he’s never so much as picked up and read a newer issue.*rolls eyes* I’m moving on penders… so should everyone else,what you’ve done is in the past,and it’s best to leave it there.
Sorry for the double post what I should have said is: You quit working on the comics, now your digging up the past, just stop digging while your ahead,you’re just going to strike a watermain,not gold.
Someone refresh my mind?
What’s this all about?
@Rundas penders trying to get his characters and stories copywrited and making it so it’s illegal to sell sonic select and archives in local comics stores. A senseless act really,he’s got a loosing case.
@Rundas Or were you being sarcastic XD. I cant tell sarcasm over the internet very well.
Wasn’t sarcasm, I really didn’t know about this. Thanks for clearing it up.
Not a problem.
He never gives up, he’ll stay till the fight’s won, Ken Penders is theeeeeeerrre!!!
Seriously though, I can’t believe he’s still pulling this malarkey.
One thing, SEGA owns ALL!!!.
Sega to Ken Penders
Sega : Talk to the hand.
@TheHumbleFellow
Knuckles The Echidna > Crappy Sonic Recolor(Shadow)
“It’s not over”
..Yes, Mr. Penders. Yes it is.
Why is he even bothering anyway? What chance does he have against a company which probably has an army of crack lawyers? That’s like stirring a hornet’s nest.
If he really wants to own characters, he should make up more and file for copyright on those.
Oi Penders. Silver Says ITS NO USE!!!
Penders better stop these lawsuits! I NEVER read the Sonic comics, aside from those that are free, but even I know that the best way to give him what he wants would be to let him write a Sonic Universe 4-Parter that would permanently write all his characters out of the series, and into his own. I mean, maybe this is why we never see American Published Sonic Manga in stores. It makes no sense for Sonic to compete with himself!
Then again, I NEVER make any sense! We need to see Sonic spoofed on MAD (on Cartoon Network)!
If Penders doesn’t really work for Archie (at least the Sonic part) then why the heck does he want to sue Archie. Put your freaking past behind you man… what are you gonna sue people for drawing pictures of your characters now? Why not sue the people that made sprites of your characters while your at it? Screw it, just try to sue the whole friggin’ fanbase you selfish jerk.
The only thing happening I can see if he does win,archie will be forced to remove the characters and cease printing archives and select. Someone had suggested sending them to the zone of silence where naugus once was or something. Although I cant really see him winning at the same time,I read that archie sued a band that had the name: The Veronica’s. I think were in good hands with the archie legal division.I mean if archie publishing gets that defensive over a name being used,sheesh. If we did have to rid of the characters,they could just start out fresh,gather a bunch of artists from somewhere and just have them submit some ideas*people who know what work for hire is*for new characters. @yoshi just saw that show today for the first time,was quite funny DO IT!
Homes better quit while he’s ahead. If I were him, I’d honestly be more scared of Archie’s legal department, than SEGA’s. Those dudes are RUTHLESS.