Donkey Kong diva denied in Cartoon Network depiction lawsuit

[Phillyman]

One of the world's top arcade game players has lost a legal battle with Cartoon Network over its depiction of him as a giant floating head.

Billy Mitchell, 50, who lives in Hollywood, held the world record top score on Donkey Kong for many years. He was the first to ever achieve a perfect game on Pac-Man and was also the first to pass 1m points on Ms. Pac-Man.

Mitchell found further fame when he featured in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong, where another gamer tried to topple his high score.

It was following this that The Regular Show, an animated series from Cartoon Network, began featuring a character that looked similar to Mitchell - albeit as a disembodied bearded head with arms.

Within the Regular Show the character is named as GBF - an acroynm for Garrett Bobby Ferguson or, more descriptively, Giant Bearded Face. The character is shown to be an alien that cheats to win video games.

Mitchell objected to this portrayal and so launched a lawsuit against Cartoon Network for damages.

But the legal challenge has now been thrown out by New Jersey Federal District Judge Anne Thompson.

"The television character does not match the plaintiff in appearance," Thompson ruled (via AP). "GBF appears as a non-human creature, a giant floating head with no body from outer space, while Plaintiff is a human being.

"And when GBF loses his title, the character literally explodes, unlike Plaintiff."

Cartoon Network is protected over any similarity of its character to Mitchell due to First Amendment laws (ensuring free speech) and the free right to parody.

Source

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-11-24-donkey-kong-diva-denied-in-cartoon-network-depiction-lawsuit

[twiztor]

Billy Mitchell is such a tool.

[Phillyman]

Billy Mitchell is such a tool.

I agree, I never really heard of him before I watched The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. But he just seemed like a jerk in that movie, now if it was acting I can understand....but it just felt a bit too real to be acting.

[Searcher17]

I agree, I never really heard of him before I watched The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. But he just seemed like a jerk in that movie, now if it was acting I can understand....but it just felt a bit too real to be acting.

Yeah, he came off really bad in that. I realize it was edited to play up the underdog story and make him a "bad guy," but still. His persona is way too grating to blame it all on that.

[RobertDuncan]

Talk about an ego I mean ok he's a title holder but when you logistically think about it its not impressive it's just a record for a guy playing video games....ok ya got a high score glad for ya but we'll time to move along. I'm not impressed but stuff lime that sure it's cool and all but it has no real value in the grand scheme of darwinian evolution. Heck I'm more impressed with actual achievements (if ya will) like sports,dancing,science,historical and such ya know skills that are actually useful/impressive. To me it's just a guy with an over inflated ego because he won something that only impresses a small group a cult if ya will and this is coming form a guy who likes the "nerd" culture.

[miketheratguy]

The only problem with The King of Kong (which, don't misunderstand, is an absolutely phenomenal film) is that it, like all documentaries, are skewed to present the perspective that the director wants you to have. While Billy Mitchell obviously does have an alpha male personality (and I guess to an extent deservedly so, since he had the drive to find extensive success not only in the video game arena but also with his line of hot sauces) the film was edited in such a way that he came across as more of a one-dimensional bad guy than he probably was. For example the film strongly implied that Billy and Steve never played against each other directly when in fact they met on more than one occasion for some friendly games of competition (even during the production of the film, if I recall correctly).

That said, I have to also agree with the opinion that Billy Mitchell is a "tool". That's a pretty apt word for him. My buddy Howard simply calls him "Silly Bitchell".

But my god, does that man have an amazing head of hair.

[kitsunebi]

"GBF appears as a non-human creature, a giant floating head with no body from outer space, while Plaintiff is a human being. And when GBF loses his title, the character literally explodes, unlike Plaintiff."

Billy Mitchell's tool-ishness aside, the judge is hilariously deadpan. And that second sentence is such a monumental slam, rubbing his nose in the fact that he lost his title...

It amuses me to no end imagining the prideful rage she was pretty much deliberately inducing in that jackhole as she rendered the dismissal...