ICv2 has talked with George Sohn of Toynami, the company that has just begun to ship its long-awaited Robotech Masterpiece Collection toys into the U.S. market.  Sohn assured ICv2 that his company was proceeding with plans that will eventually include nine different limited Masterpiece Collection toys that will make their way to the U.S. over the next two years.  Toynami's license was granted by Tatsunoko, a powerful Japanese company that is in a dispute with Big West, the company that controls Japanese rights to the property (see 'The Muddled Macross Toy License').  In February Big West triumphed over Tatsunoko in Tokyo District Court (see 'Macross Rights Litigation in Japan'), but according to Sohn the case is not over yet.  Tatsunoko is a major player with lots of economic resources, and may well take Big West to court in Japan or the U.S. in order to stop Sunwards from distributing Macross toys in the States.

 

The complicated battle over the rights to the Macross property goes back to the creation of the original series, which according to Sohn, Tatsunoko helped finance in return for merchandising rights outside of Japan.  The final disposition of this matter is of course up to the courts and it make take years to sort it all out.  Meanwhile Toynami and other companies who have secured their rights from Tatsunoko intend to keep on producing Macross merchandise.  The results of the dispute could be more Macross merchandise in the U.S. if both sets of 'license' holders continue to produce goods according to plan -- or possibly, if both parties resort to legal action, a temporary paralysis brought on by various injunctions.  This one isn't over yet.  Stay tuned.