Godzilla Tries to Stomp Honda in Court

Image via WikipediaTruth was stranger than science fiction this week in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California where Godzilla was unleashed against an automaker.

In Toho Company, Ltd. v. American Honda Motor Co. et al. (Case No. 2:11-cv-01013-SVW-CW), the plaintiff, who distributed Godzilla (1954) and holds the rights to the famous Tokyo-trasher, sued Honda for trademark infringement. As reported by the Hollywood Reporter legal Web site, www.thresq.com, the plaintiff claims the defendant failed to obtain permission before having Godzilla make a cameo appearance in a Honda Odyssey ad that aired during the NFL playoffs last month.  According to Toho, Godzilla's stomp-on boosted sales of the minivan by 42 percent.

Ironically, the original Godzilla, which was released in the U.S. in 1956 with some added-in footage featuring "Perry Mason" star Raymond Burr as a reporter (who outweighed Godzilla), was directed and co-written by Ishiro Honda, no relation to the car maker, but evidence that Godzilla and Honda have a history.