Pororo's co-producer files suit seeking 'real creator' status

SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- One of the two co-producers of popular South Korean animated character Pororo filed suit with a local court on Tuesday, asking it to confirm the real creator of the cartoon penguin.
In a release, Ocon Co. claimed Iconix Entertainment damaged its rights and deprived Ocon and its animators of recognition by publicizing the computer-generated cartoon penguin as its own creation and being the sole recipient of a government prize given in recognition of the animated series' overseas success.
But Iconix denied allegations of false publicity activities.
"I have always made it clear that Pororo is the result of co-production. I don't understand why he is making such a claim," Choi Jong-il, head of Iconix, said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency.
As for Ocon's authorship claim, Choi recognized that Ocon designed characters in the Pororo series and animated them but said there cannot be a single author for a co-production.
Since its debut in November 2003 on an EBS TV channel, "Pororo the Little Penguin" has reigned as an unrivaled favorite among Korean toddlers and preschoolers. The popular penguin was recently the subject of a flurry of media coverage following reports that animators from both South and North Korea crafted his adorable image.
Pororo also became an icon for children across the globe after being exported to 90 countries, including France and Britain.
Two other companies that own copyrights on the animated series are the broadcaster EBS and SK Broadband, a local Internet service provider.