Sony Picks Up Showa Godzilla Films!

[BlackLabelSociety]

Now why does Sony trust movies like that to sell on DVD alone, but not Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '93? Or how about Godzilla 1984? Now that Toho has the rights back to that movie, Sony could get their hands on the international print of that movie under the title "Return of Godzilla." Hell I have a VHS copy of it. My copy isn't all that great but it is cool to watch. Only thing is they would have to change the title unless they put it on DVD as Return of Godzilla and not Godzilla 1984 (1985). And I am guessing that Mirimax still owns the rights to Godzilla vs. Biollante.

[Kaiju Nexus]

[GaryT]

[Kaiju Nexus]

[Diabolik]

[Kaiju Nexus]

[BlackLabelSociety]

[GFan]

[GaryT]

[quote="DBZelda7and as for losing the rights to an unknown company, that is essentially how films get into Public Domain. [/quote]

Well, no, not exactly. A film becomes public domain either when a company fails to register a U.S. copyright in the first place, or someone fails to renew it after 27 years.

[GFan]

Here's the deal with Godzilla 1985 aka The Return of Godzilla:

KPA did find out that the US rights for Godzilla 1985 (or The Return of Godzilla, as it would end up being if released on DVD) are owned by a "mystery" company. The Toho guy Keith was talking to couldn't remember the name off the top of his head, but he said Anchor Bay didn't sound like the name.

Anchor Bay *thought* they owned the rights to release it (from aquiring the company that had owned the company that had originally released it.. lol.. or something along those lines), and they had released it on VHS along with all the other Godzilla movies they had aquired from Video Treasures, Starmaker/R&G/New World, etc etc... Anyhow, while Anchor Bay *thought* they owned the rights, they didn't have good enough materials and wanted to release a dual-version DVD so they went to Toho and Toho argued that they didn't actually have the rights to G85 (afterall, all of those Godzilla movies reverted back to Toho a few years before or around that time).

So, this "mystery" company might have bought the rights after Anchor Bay went to Toho... or whenever after the rights to G85 reverted back to Toho.

Whoever these guys are, *hopefully* they'll 'show themselves' and put out a DVD to cash-in on the 50th!

[BlackLabelSociety]

[CyHunter]

[kiryugoji04]

[kpa]

[Kaiju Nexus]

[kpa]