Stop monkeying around.
That was basically a New Jersey judge's reaction to a Donkey Kong world record holder, claiming that a cartoon show stole his likeness.
On Friday, New Jersey Federal District Judge Anne Thompson dismissed Billy Mitchell's lawsuit against the Cartoon Network, deciding that the Regular Show merely exaggerated his traits to make the character Garrett Bobby Ferguson "cartoonishly evil" and furthermore that the show is protected by the First Amendment.
"The television character does not match the plaintiff in appearance: GBF appears as a non-human creature, a giant floating head with no body from outer space, while Plaintiff is a human being," Thompson wrote, as reported by the Associated Press. "And when GBF loses his title, the character literally explodes, unlike Plaintiff."
Well, when taken that literally, yes, but there's no doubting the character's likeness to Mitchell, thus explaining his lawsuit and overall frustration.
Cartoon Network had alleged that the floating, bearded head of the GBF character — who cheats to win a video game — is a sort of transformation of Mitchell, according to the AP. Meanwhile, Mitchell set the world record in the iconic Donkey Kong, being the first gamer to pass one million points. Mitchell also holds records in Pac Man and Ms. Pac-Man.
He's also known for sporting a thick beard. But apparently Thompson didn't see enough to rule in Mitchell's favor.
Do you think that this ruling was fair or unfair?
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