Apple Strikes New Chip Licensing Deal; NBC\u2019s Streaming Service to Include Lionsgate Movies; Disney Prepares for UK Streaming Service Debut; Warner Bros Launches New Film Trailer using TikTok; Disney Launches Official \u2018Baby Yoda\u2019 Merchandise, Strikes Back Against Unauthorised Sellers and more.<\/p>\n
Apple has struck a new licensing deal with British chipmaker, Imagination Technologies, more than two years after a high-profile breakdown in the companies\u2019 relationship.<\/p>\n
The longstanding bond between the two companies was hit by Apple\u2019s decision to focus on developing its own graphics processor units (GPUs) for its tablets and smartphones. This sparked a dispute, with Imagination questioning Apple\u2019s ability to manufacture its own GPUs without infringing the UK chipmaker\u2019s patents.<\/p>\n
On January 2, Imagination issued a brief press release which stated that it had replaced the multi-year, multi-use licence agreement with Apple, first announced on February 6, 2014, with a new multi-year licence agreement under which Apple has access to a wider range of Imagination\u2019s intellectual property in exchange for licence fees.<\/p>\n
Comcast\u2019s NBCUniversal and Starz announced a new deal in December to license streaming content from one another. The long-term agreement will give NBC\u2019s Peacock streaming service a fresh batch of content. It implies that when Peacock launches in April 2020, users will have access to hundreds of films and shows produced by Starz, which is owned by Lionsgate.
\nPeacock is set to offer more than 15,000 hours of NBC content, including new originals such as a \u201cSaved By The Bell\u201d reboot with members of the original cast, and \u201cDr. Death,\u201d based on the popular podcast. It will also offer older series that aired on NBC including \u201cThe Office\u201d (beginning in 2021), \u201cCheers\u201d and \u201cFriday Night Lights.\u201d<\/p>\n
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement, nor details of shows and movies that will be licensed out. NBC will announce the final details for Peacock on January 16, 2020.<\/p>\n
Disney, which owns crown jewels from the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, to Toy Story-maker Pixar and family favourites such as Frozen 2, is building a content arsenal to make sure its new Disney+ venture is a hit when it launches in the UK on March 31, 2020. To serve this purpose, it has pulled more than half of its TV box sets from Sky\u2019s streaming service. Disney, which bought 21st Century Fox earlier this year, is trying to re-invent its business model for the streaming age by investing billions in making Disney+ the global home of most of its content.<\/p>\n
The value of Disney\u2019s content makes it a key partner for Sky. Likewise, Sky is an immensely profitable partner for Disney, and it is expected that even if Disney does pull back its prime movies and TV shows, its TV channels, such as Disney Junior and Disney XD, will continue to be broadcast to Sky\u2019s 24 million pay-TV customers across Europe. Sky is expected to pull out all stops to try to keep Disney on-board.<\/p>\n
In a first for the studio and TikTok, Warner Bros is streaming the global trailer debut for new film, \u201cIn the Heights\u201d. The film fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda\u2019s music and lyrics with Jon M. Chu\u2019s direction, and is centered on the Washington Heights neighbourhood in New York. The film is slated for worldwide release on June 24, 2020, and in the U.S. on June 26, 2020. TikTok\u2019s partnership with the studio validates the site\u2019s mobile videos with hundreds of millions of users.<\/p>\n
This is despite criticism by some U.S. lawmakers who have labelled the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok as a national security threat. The US Treasury Department is reportedly investigating whether TikTok is censoring content that is negative towards the Chinese government.<\/p>\n
Disney is finally cashing in on the \u2018Baby Yoda\u2019 craze, launching an official plush toy version of the Child, a character which made its debut on \u2018The Mandalorian\u2019, an original series on the Disney+ streaming platform. In a bid to keep the character reveal a secret, Disney had not launched any related merchandise until last week, but that did not stop fans from making and selling their own toys, t-shirts, and phone cases. The unexpected popularity of the character, coupled with Disney\u2019s rush to bring official merchandise to the market, led most fans to prefer the artisanal and handmade versions. The gamble to delay licensed products beyond the holiday gifting season is estimated to have caused a loss of nearly USD 3 million to Disney.
\nHowever, Disney took swift action against unauthorised sellers of Baby Yoda merchandise on Etsy and other online marketplaces, sending them legal notices and having listings removed from platforms. Fan-made merchandise based on popular characters and scenes remains a grey area in both trademark and copyright infringement, with Disney being one among the few studios to take strict action.<\/p>\n
Authored and compiled by\u00a0 Neharika Vhatkar (Associate, BananaIP Counsels) and Tanvi Chaturvedi (Legal Intern)<\/strong><\/p>\n