Comments on: Sony Bastards Ripped Off the Bunny Tsunami Ad

By: diana

diana — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:27:51 +0000

it doesn’t really remind me of the work of kozyndan. maybe the bunny shapes and the asian people. it looks like something out of eureeka’s castle (the little clamation worms on nickelodeon circa 1990). everyone feeds off of everyone anyway. we see it all of the time. if not, where would we get inspiration from? besides, what seems to turn into a tsunami, transforms into blocks?…yeah. sony ain’t got sh*t on kozyndan.

By: jas

jas — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:01:20 +0000

Hey you silly bastard the advertising company should be blamed. Do i also smell a hint of racism because Sony are not an American company?.

By: Lainie

Lainie — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:02:04 +0000

I’ve seen a few “Fony” graffiti around my area – some even have stencils that look like the Sony typeface.
i suppose stuff like this will just fuel it.

By: Jannis Gundermann

Jannis Gundermann — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:24:35 +0000

That is a pretty bold rip of another artists work. Then again I don't know whether or not Sony is telling the truth about them knowing about it or not...
I remember that a few years ago an American fast food company asked an ad agency to create some billboard ads and they came up with a great concept, the fast food company then dumped the agency went to another agency and told them to do exactly the same concept that the other agency came up with. Obviously withholding the information that this has been done before. The concept was used for billboard ads, and the works later in the campaign.
Once aired, the first agency, that originally came up with the concept, sued the second agency because it should have been in their interest to check whether or not this has been down before.

In the end the first agency won the lawsuit and got something around US$48Million (based on the revenue generated by the fast food company during the time the ads ran).

Why am I telling you this? Because it happens more often than we would like to admit, and while in this case it would have been much easier to proof that the concept isn't new because it has actually been published before it still is a slippery slope.

Personally I would sue Sony & the agency that came up with this TVC.
Then again we'll just have to wait and see what KozyDan will do.

By: MadHatter

MadHatter — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:11:35 +0000

I dunno, guys. I just did a cursory review of KozyDan's work (I had never heard of him before today, forgive me), but I don't see a direct corellation between his work and Sony's ad. I will grant you that if Sony or their marketing company did, in fact, contact KozyDan before hand, then that is pretty damning evidence, but again, I don't see a direct link between his work and the ad.

That's like saying that any ad that uses a bull in it infringes upon Merrill Lunch marketing. KozyDan's bunnies are typically drawn in a faux traditional Japanese style. They are typically white, from the work I saw. And the Tsunami everyone seems to refer to was done near Mount Fuji, in KozyDan's work.

Are they similar? Maybe. But damningly so, I just don't buy it. Bear in mind, I too am an artist, so I have predelictions towards protecting artists copyright. At the same time, I realize that if someone else draws a bunny, it does not prevent me from drawing a bunny, or photographing a bunny, or painting a bunny, etc.

By: VC

VC — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:31:35 +0000

No, K.dalo means that SONY rhymes with Phony. And i agree.

By: Zac

Zac — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:10:04 +0000

copywriting style is really hard... tweak an ipod subtly and you can get away with it... okay well maybe not an APPLE product but u get the idea :P

its a shame but it really is rampant, i can show you a few cases of ads ripping off artists if you want for a story, one off the top of my head is really obvious for a mental health ad

bhudism teaches that there are no original ideas... scary concept that keeps designers awake at night..

By: Reckless

Reckless — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 05:33:24 +0000

Maybe we’re using different rhyming dictionaries, but I think rabbit rhymes better with habit.

By: K.ndal0

K.ndal0 — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:37:20 +0000

Rhymes with phony.