Prison conclusion on Kung Fu Panda copyright clash

What started with a copyright battle over the film ‘Kung Fu Panda’ has ended with the handing out of a two year prison sentence.

Jayme Gordon, an amateur cartoonist, has been found guilty of seven counts of fraud in the US for which he has been imprisoned for two years and fined $3 million in damages.

After the release of the film ‘Kung Fu Panda’ in 2008 by Dreamworks, Gordon filed a claim stating that Dreamworks had copied his copyright work including drawings and story ideas which he had previously submitted to Dreamworks as a pitch for a new film.

The drawings in question were for Gordon’s film idea, “Jamie Gordon’s Panda Power”.

He asked under this claim for $12 million to settle the claim.

Dreamworks didn’t accept this settlement offer and the case went on to litigation.

During this case, Gordon knowingly made false statements during his deposition and deleted and reproduced false evidence that was required to be submitted.

These actions led to an offence of Government’s indictment action taken against him. Because of this, Gordon agreed to drop the copyright infringement claim.

The conclusion to this saga is the two-year prison sentence and a substantial damage pay-out.

This highlights that while it is good to fight the big guys, it should only be done where there is a legitimate reason to go up against them.

Stay Legal!