The roar of jet engines filled the air as Zaboru Renkonan and Jas Yoel stepped off their plane at Los Angeles International Airport. Despite the long flight, Zaboru looked calm and focused, dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans. His signature helt was tucked under his arm. He wouldn't need it here—not in the courtroom.
Waiting just outside the arrivals gate was Ryan Miller, CEO of Erald Wings. His face lit up when he spotted them.
"Zaboru! Jas! Thank God you're here," Ryan said, rushing forward to shake their hands. "This whole lawsuit is insane. They're really going through with it."
"We figured," Jas muttered.
"We're not worried," Zaboru replied coolly. "But we need a strong legal defense. Any news?"
Ryan nodded and led them to a waiting car. "Actually, yes. There's a lawyer—John Kirby. He's not a celebrity attorney, but he has a strong track record defending smaller companies and underdogs in plenty of cases. He's well respected in the legal community, and get this—he contacted us. Said he's been following the case and believes that ZAGE is completely in the right. He wants to represent us pro bono."
Zaboru's eyes lit up with surprise and a tinge of excitent. Fate must have a way even in this world John Kirby is the one who is defending them. "John Kirby? The guy known for defending the underdogs? . Let's go et him right away."
They drove through Los Angeles traffic to Kirby's office. John Kirby greeted them in a tidy suit, his expression asured but kind.
"Mr. Renkonan, I've reviewed the complaint filed by Universal Studios," Kirby began. "Frankly, their case is weak. The character design of Donkey Kong, while similar in broad concept to a large ape, is not identical nor derivative enough to hold up in court. There's plenty of precedent for this. They're trying to use the 'Kong' na to scare you, but I believe we can win."
Zaboru nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Kirby. We'd be honored to have you defend ZAGE."
Kirby smiled and extended a hand. "Then let's get to work."
In the days leading up to the court date, Zaboru, Jas, Ryan, and Kirby worked around the clock preparing evidence, docuntation, and visual breakdowns of the character design process for Donkey Kong. Zaboru even included original sketches from early concept stages to prove independent creation. Kirby was ticulous—he dissected every word of Universal's filing and prepared counter argunts for each claim.
September 25, 1992.
Courtroom 4B, Los Angeles Federal District Court.
The courtroom was packed. dia representatives filled the benches, reporters jostling for position. A cara crew quietly fild from a corner, set to air clips on evening news networks. Everyone was eager to witness the first legal battle involving one of Japan's rising gaming stars.
Judge Marilyn Rosenthal presided over the hearing.
On one side sat the Universal Studios legal team, led by the sharp-tongued attorney Liam Murphy. Beside him sat executives from Universal, including CEO Kurt Sumrs. Across from them were John Kirby, Zaboru, Jas, and Ryan.
Court was called to order.
Murphy stood first, his tone condescending. "Your Honor, Universal Studios brings this lawsuit against ZAGE Corporation and its distributor Erald Wings for blatant infringent upon our intellectual property—specifically, the unauthorized use of our iconic character archetype 'Kong,' most famously associated with 'King Kong.' We believe ZAGE's character, Donkey Kong, is a derivative work and was marketed without license or permission."
Judge Rosenthal nodded. "Mr. Kirby, your opening?"
Kirby rose calmly. "Your Honor, what Universal Studios fails to acknowledge is the fundantal difference between homage and infringent. Donkey Kong is a wholly original character created by ZAGE with no direct use of Universal's trademarks or design. The na 'Kong' itself has beco a common term to describe an ape-like creature and is not exclusive in use. We contend that the similarities are superficial and not substantial."
Murphy imdiately objected. "The very na 'Kong' draws confusion and builds off the fa of King Kong."
Kirby turned. "And what about dozens of other works that use 'Kong' in na but are not sued? ZAGE's Donkey Kong is a cartoonish, light-hearted character with no thematic similarity to Universal's King Kong, which is rooted in horror monster and adventure genres."
Over the next hour, both attorneys presented evidence. Murphy highlighted marketing material showing Donkey Kong smashing barrels, Diddy Kong climbing structures—"a clear mimicry of our monster scaling buildings," he claid.
Kirby countered with ZAGE's character sheets, showing the creative developnt process, the ga's different tone, and testimony from Zaboru himself.
"Your Honor," Kirby said, "ZAGE is a gaming company founded on creativity. Mr. Renkonan has developed a wide range of characters. Donkey Kong is a platforming character who throws barrels—not because of King Kong—but because it makes the gaplay engaging. There is no theft of story, no duplication of character design beyond the species of 'ape.' That's like suing over a wolf character because it resembles the Big Bad Wolf."
Liam Murphy tried to turn attention to the marketing gain ZAGE achieved.
"They profited from the association. Whether intentional or not, they used our brand power to elevate their own."
Kirby nodded. "Or maybe they succeeded because their ga was fun, accessible, and offered sothing people wanted. The ga stands on its own rits."
Judge Rosenthal remained stoic but alert through the proceedings. After a long session of argunts, the court was adjourned until the next day.
Outside, the press sward.
"Mr. Renkonan! Mr. Kirby! Is ZAGE going to settle?" "Do you think you'll win the case?" "Are you worried about Arican market backlash?"
Zaboru, without his helt, calmly smiled and said, "We believe in fair creativity. We'll let the court decide."
That evening, news broadcasts across Arica aired clips from the courtroom, and for the first ti, the public saw the face behind ZAGE. Newspapers and the gaming community erupted with reactions—not only to the trial itself, but to the revelation of Zaboru's identity. Japan's dia quickly picked up the coverage as well. TV Tokyo, NHK, and other networks ran features on "The Genius Behind ZAGE," showing side-by-side footage of Zaboru with and without his iconic helt.
Gars across both countries were stunned—not just by his youth, but by his calm deanor and charm. Yet while his appearance surprised many, their support never wavered. There are many who give Letters of Encouragent to Erald Wings in US and ZAGE offices in Japan.
And Zaboru? He simply returned to his hotel, calm and composed, preparing for another day in court. He had no doubt they would win. But more than that, he wanted to prove that innovation shouldn't be punished just because it found success.
To be continued...
Please give your power stone and if you want to support and get minimum 10 advance Chapter for 3 bucks considering subscribe to my patreon patreon/Zaborn_1997
Also Join my discord if you want sdiscord.gg/jB8x6TUByc
User Comments
0 comments from readers