EC Comics v. Sega

Entertaining Comics, Inc. v. Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

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Entertaining Comics, Inc. v. Sega Enterprises, Ltd. was a proposed case in which the American comic company EC Comics threatened to sue Sega Enterprises if the company's Mad Money Star slot machines (which used the likeness of Mad magazine's Alfred E. Neuman without permission) were imported into the United States.

History

In 1960, Sega Enterprises launched the Mad Money Star slot machine, branded with and taking advantage of the popularity of Mad magazine's mascot Alfred E. Neuman. This appearance was used without permission, something which Mad magazine's owners EC Comics later took notice of. As a result, the company threatened Sega with a lawsuit should these machines ever be imported into the United States.

Result

Ultimately, the threat of legal action resulted in the slot machine never being imported into the United States, with Mad Money Star units being largely shipped to England and the United Kingdom instead. Neither company chose to enter into legal proceedings. Despite this, Sega chose to reuse Neuman's face again in 1974's Windsor Mad Money. It is not believed this second usage brought about any legal troubles.

External links

• Sega Mad Money and Alfred E. Neuman article by Old gamer's memory of arcade games and its surroundings (Japanese)