Tatsunoko Productions has filed a lawsuit against three members of Speed Racer Enterprises, accusing them of exploiting the rights to the Speed Racer anime after their license had expired. The company is seeking US$1 million in damages from Michael S. Cisneros, James J. Rocknowski, and John E. Rocknowski.
Tatsunoko Productions says that it granted Speed Racer Enterprises a 10-year license in 2000. While the company acknowledged that it had extended the license by a year, Speed Racer Enterprise's license expired in May 2011.
The company alleges that the three individuals from Speed Racer Enterprises continue to exploit the rights to Speed Racer after they expired, and that the rights were sub-licensed to Lions Gate and Toonz Entertainment.
