Square Enix wins copyright infringement case against Fantom

The maxim says, “imitate, then innovate.” Perhaps Fantom Entertainment Group imitated Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children a little too much.

In any case, Square Enix has won the reported copyright infringement case against Fantom Entertainment Group. For more legal details, turn to the full article after the jump.

Remember the Square Enix vs. Fantom Entertainment Group copyright infringement case we reported a few months back? For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Fantom Entertainment Group released a music video featuring the Korean recording artist, Ivy. The problem was that the music video “borrowed” a certain battle scene involving Tifa and Loz from Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children.

In any case, chalk up another victory for Square Enix: a Korean judge has ruled in favor of the developer-publisher. Chief Judge Lee Kyun-yong ordered Fantom Entertainment Group and Mr. Hong Jeong-ho (the director of the offending music video) to pay Square Enix 300 million Korean Won. The amount will cover the damages inflicted upon Square Enix’s copyrighted material.

Yasuhiko Hasegawa, Square Enix’s General Counsel, spoke on behalf of the company. Hasegawa appreciated the fact that the South Korean court acknowledged the damage done to Square Enix. Furthermore, Hasegawa reiterated the developer-publisher’s stance regarding using copyrighted material without first asking permission:

Square Enix will continue to take decisive action against any infringements upon the Company’s intellectual property, recognizing that this property is one of our most crucial resources.