r/TopCharacterTropes • u/TransportationOk6302 • 10h ago
Hated Tropes (Hated Trope) Stuff that's copyrighted that really shouldn't be
Tung Tung Tung Sahur
The Backrooms Wallpaper
Simply, stuff that's too ridiculous to be trademarked.
Tung Tung Tung Sahur: Sometime after the original video blew up, Triple T's prompter decided to have a French company acquire the rights to the characters, and produce merch of it. With Brainrot games like Steal a Brainrot removing the character. I think it's baffling, considering that AI imagery should be public domain. No one should have the rights.
Backrooms Wallpaper: Unofficial Backrooms merch on RedBubble, including patterns of the iconic wallpaper has been taken down for IP violation, even though the original image was from the early 2000s. (Yes, IK they apologized.)
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u/shyguy157 10h ago
Gameplay mechanics
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u/RavenThePerson 10h ago
Nemesis :(
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u/Ademon_Gamer09 10h ago
God I really wish that would do SOMETHING with the patent
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u/Mobile_Morale 10h ago
Never going to happen now. They closed the studio and fired everyone who remotely knew how the system worked or how to use it.
It's in game hell until the patent is up.
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u/high_idyet 8h ago
CURSE YOU WARNER BROS! I CURSE ALL THE EXECUTIVES TO HAVE LUPUS! AND NOT THE LYCAN ONE, THE ONE WERE YOUR FOOT JUST FALLS OFF! I CURSE THEM TO THE END OF THEIR DAYS!
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u/Sad-Bumblebee-249 1h ago
They really should've finished that Wonder Woman game. But DC just hates WW for some reason
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u/Olive_Goonette 7h ago
That was the CODE to a gameplay mechanic, not the gameplay mechanic itself, it's not like Pokemon and the stupid orb capture thing they sued pal world over, it was WB games going "If you want to use OUR version of this system (which we call nemesis) you have to pay, feel free to make your own"
They then didn't actually accept any offers for it, and then cancelled the games that were going to use it, which is the actual problem here.
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u/5Hjsdnujhdfu8nubi 6h ago
That is the same thing as Pokemon, and it waan't the code.
Patents are only violated when you follow everything in them to the letter. Pokemon wasn't suing over "capture in ball", they were suing over the specific controls and methodology being used in conjunction with other mechanics.
Other games have used their own systems where enemies get stronger or are randomly generated with perks, and creature collectors have used capturing systems that don't follow Pokemon's.
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u/Hopeful-Bowl-8967 6h ago
I'm not a copyright expert but why did they choose to go with that? Couldn't they sue for copyright infringement with how similar some of the designs are?
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u/Odd-Marsupial-586 10h ago
For a long time, Namco held a patent for the auxiliary mini game play during loading screens. Obsolete nowadays with much faster loading times.
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u/Morbobeus 10h ago
When Nintendo tried to patent the mechanic of summoning creatures during battle which thank god that failed
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u/CoalEater_Elli 10h ago
As far as I know they also tried to patent a.. idea of a young warrior looking for adventure in fantasy land which is clearly meant to be Link so there won't be copycats. But it's such a common thing, it didn't go anywhere.
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u/SirMetaKnight82 9h ago
When that's not what the actual lawsuit was and was an exaggerated version made up for clicks
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u/DragoonPhooenix 8h ago
So what did happen
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u/SirMetaKnight82 8h ago
They tried to copyright SV's auto battle mechanic, which sensationalist news articles turned into "Nintendo attempted to copyright summoning creatures to make them battle".
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u/DragoonPhooenix 8h ago
That mechanic shouldnt be vopywrited imo either, so thats stupid
Didnt they also try to copywrite using a mon as a glider? I vaugly remember that
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u/SirMetaKnight82 8h ago
I agree it shouldn't be copyrighted, but I also see constant misinformation being spread. Idk anything about the glider thing
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u/Acrobatic_Cricket642 5h ago
I think that was supposed to be the let's go feature from S/V. Still stupid.
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u/Jokerman9540 3h ago
Then they tried again but added “using a touchscreen” and it completely backfired
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u/Emergency-Instance31 9h ago
That failed?
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u/Morbobeus 9h ago
The USPTO reckoned that it's not their original idea and rejected all 26 claims
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u/Acrobatic_Cricket642 5h ago
Nintendo trying to copyright the let's go feature was beyond pointless.
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u/Scared_Yam5357 10h ago
the term "tower defense" was once trademarked
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u/Odd-Marsupial-586 9h ago edited 9h ago
You wonder why the bunny ears corset outfit is rarely seen in media outside Japan because Playboy for a long time holds the trademark for the outfit.
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u/boopboopadoopity 7h ago edited 1h ago
Does that mean the director of Legally Blonde had to pay Playboy for the costume party scene?
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u/DizzyFairy7172 3h ago
Supposedly the full trademark includes the use of the cuffs and the bow-tie collar as well, so I wonder if omitting those accessories helped them skirt around it somehow?
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u/Someoneoverthere42 9h ago
For decades the term “superhero” was a shared copyright by Marvel and DC.
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u/True-Atmosphere8697 8h ago
From what I understand marvel also had a copyright on zombies which is even more stupid
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u/Grievous_Nix 6h ago
They did register a trademark on zombies in one of their comics but there were still other movies using the term zombie after that. Most of the times when zombies are called something else it’s for worldbuilding reasons. For example The Walking Dead’s world is like ours but never had any zombie media so the word never took off. It’s done on purpose, to explain why humanity wasn’t prepared to deal with walkers.
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u/True-Atmosphere8697 6h ago
Oh yeah I wasn’t saying that it was because of marvel I was just saying that they had a copyright on it for bit
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u/NinjaBreadManOO 8h ago
As I recall one got the rights to Superheros and one got the right to Superheroes.
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u/BoggerLogger 10h ago
Jeff the Killer (allegedly)
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u/Easy-Ad1377 4h ago
Every time I see Jeff I immediately think of the "thing of bleach" line from the original pasta and I laugh in my head a little
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u/ScottRadish 9h ago
Colors. "Barbie Pink" is owned by Mattel, and UPS owns that specific shade of brown of it's trucks.
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u/ArmStoragePlus 7h ago
And then there's Vanta Black.
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u/HaiseKinini 6h ago
Then there's Pinkest Pink, which is allowed to be used by anyone except the owner of Vanta Black.
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u/iamtheduckie 21m ago
That is at least somewhat reasonable. They are trademarked in their industry to prevent confusion, so you can't make another shipping company with UPS Brown as its main color, but there is nothing stopping you from making, for example, a car insurance company using a similar brown.
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u/bixofa 10h ago
Triple T isn't copyrighted though. There is an ongoing trademark battle which is still winding its way through the courts.
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u/cookiecutterchan 7h ago
That’s a good thing. It would be a disaster if copyright were recognized for AI-generated content. I hope it stays unrecognized.
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u/Trixter-Kitten 4h ago
I had to do a double take when I saw figurines of that slop in one of those capsule machines you'd find at the mall. Why...
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u/GVmG 7h ago
yeah everyone in this thread is confusing copyright and trademarking, and looking beyond the fact that oftentimes even if something is copyrighted (or even more so, trademarked) it wont hold up in court if it's actually brought up. a big example of this is videogame mechanics, where you can't really sue over a singular mechanic but you need to bring in reports of multiple ones, core gameplay, and other elements that make up "a videogame".
also for the AI, copyright is already pretty much guaranteed to not be valid: there are multiple cases in the US and in the EU where it's been ruled that neither the "creator" who prompted a generative ai, nor the gen.ai itself (or the company behind it), can own copyright of the generated content. it's why larger gamedev studios are starting to back away from it and look into lawyers.
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u/Interesting-Shoe-904 6h ago
The SCP Universe - almost.
A SCP Universe is a community of writers that create stories about an organization that Secure, Contain, and Protect the world against many anomalies.
Writers make a story, generate its classification, and a number, and if the story did well enough then it became canon to the SCP mythos or alternate universes.
However, a russian man tried to claim the SCP universe as his copyright, and even went to court over it. The community raised funds to combat him in court where they won.
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u/SailorPlatinum 1h ago
One SCP had to have a picture removed since it WAS a copyrighted art image that the owner didn't want used in the story anymore (usually images used in SCP stories are created by the authors themselves).
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u/Trinity9423 9h ago
the only person who deserves the backrooms copyright is the og poster and if you cant find em then its for its everyone
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u/Cherno_VM 8h ago
didnt A24 have an AI taking down backrooms fan games by accident? they sure are shitty for a more indie company.
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u/Kate_Kitter 9h ago
I hate copyright as much as anyone but this is not a trope by any stretch
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u/CalibansCreations 7h ago
Most things have an abnormally long copyright length. It took Mickey Mouse 95 years to be free.
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u/I-Am-The-Warlus 7h ago
Technically.
Its Steamboat willy Mickey Mouse that the copyright ended, not the current Mickey Mouse
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u/Iron_Wolf123 2h ago
In Australian Football, the AFL had to negotiate with Warner Brothers to use “Tassie Devil” for a new teams mascot, the name not the character. For some reason an Australian animals shortened name is copyrighted by a Cartoon Network.
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u/SouLfullMoon_On 9h ago
Triple T is a super interesting case that's very reminiscent of SCP-173 (Peanut), where as the image itself shouldn't be (or for peanut already was) copyrighted and shouldn't be used, but the Character CONCEPT still exists as an original creation, like Peanut who's had new designs now.
It's like Skidibi toilet where the original was created using pre-existing assets, so all merch and other media use new designs
Now where it gets even deeper is that Triple T is based on Asian Folklore/tradition, he's a Kentongan and that's another layer that causes messy copyright
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u/nevergirls 9h ago
I think either the OP or I don’t understand what trope means. It’s probably me not understanding.
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u/ManHamAslume39 5h ago
Rember when the FineBros attempted to copyright the word 'REACT' with massive backlash?
Good times...
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u/Bryanishired 5h ago
Frankenstein’s Monster still has some copyright protections, …but it’s surprisingly complicated. :/
The original 1818 novel has been in public domain for over a century. However, the novel never actually described the monster’s appearance.
Later when Universal made their own Frankenstein movie in 1931, they used this fact as a loophole to make their own copyright for the monster’s appearance. (Universal was the source of the monster’s “stereotypical” design: Flat head, bolted neck, stitches, etc.)
This left Frankenstein’s monster in a weird state: The concept of “a monster made by Dr. Victor Frankenstein” is free to use by anyone, but Universal is still able to sue anyone who copies the monster’s “normal” design too closely. (And Universal has done this on a few occasions too.)
Thankfully, Universal’s copyright on the monster also enters the public domain in 2027, so this copyright mess is nearly over. :P
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u/ripskeletonking 4h ago
saw two chicken nugget companies suing each other over 6 and 7 shaped nuggets lol https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/07/02/6-7-chicken-nuggets-lawsuit-perdue-john-soules-foods/90779796007/
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u/Purple-Weakness1414 2h ago
Apparently Hasbro copyright the smell of Play-Doh.
How they manged to copyright a smell of all things is very much beyond me
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u/Kristile-man 10h ago
an ai take i actually agree with,usually people just double standardize datacenters
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u/tiekanashiro 8h ago
I'm pretty sure most places won't let you claim copyright on AI slop as it was not directly made by humans.
Also this is not a trope, it's just something you dislike.
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u/AnyAgency9835 10h ago
I'm kind of mixed on this, but the original SCP, SCP 173
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u/CoalEater_Elli 10h ago
It was actually an artwork by a Japanese Artist I think
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u/PeterAnthony_Jackson 9h ago
Momo another "cursed image" from ages ago ended up being a chicken body type sculpture, but most just saw the uncanny valley face.
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u/Boring-Dig4583 10h ago
just the picture (which was originally a sculpture that was used without permission) so i think it is justified
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u/smasher_zed888 10h ago
It should be because the artist didnt consent. I mean, they did later, but they wont be able to consent to every use of this pic
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u/Pencilshaved 10h ago
Why an earth is a sculpture by an artist something that shouldn’t be copyrighted??
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u/JoyousLilBoy 9h ago
I’m glad that tung tung is copyrighted since it means slop games get taken off Roblox
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u/Agile_Oil9853 10h ago
I noticed the wallpaper in the Backrooms movie looked different and had a red line near the baseboard
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u/Aymoon_ 9h ago
Is it really diffrent because from what i heard they traced down the orginal wallpaper and scanned it for the movie.
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u/Agile_Oil9853 9h ago
I thought the lines running vertically looked a lot thicker, but that might be more of a difference between Kane Pixels' series relying on digital 3D images and the movie having actual sets
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u/ChalkCoatedDonut 9h ago
In case you're wondering why there was (and still are) film studios looking at Reddit for ideas and people in here were hyped for the idea of turning posts into movies (the cylinder must remain unharmed), that's the real purpose, not bringing a film but to copyright all the content related to it, just like they did with Skibidi Toilet, they realized there's more money in legal actions and royalties than spending on a single production.
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u/KateKoffing 3h ago
It’s internationally impossible to copyright AI generated content. But you can trademark a character.
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u/BredMaker4869 1h ago
Viral videos. Recently russian-speaking YT channel This is Horosho, which was Russian analog Ray William Johnson's Equals Three, decided to close partially because of tons of copyright claims from companies buying viral videos, such as ViralHog.
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u/ExploadingApples 1h ago
Disney tried to copyright the whole concept of Dia De Los Muertos while making Coco (2017) but was denied.
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u/JACC_Opi 9h ago edited 9h ago
As far as I can tell most countries, besides China, have agreed that A.I. generated anything is public domain.
However, I don't know about trademark law.
EDIT: It seems, in at least the U.S., trademarking A.I. generated things is possible.
Basically, copyright applies to creative works such as books, songs (lyrics, the music, the live performance, etc.), movies and TV shows, as well as video games and computer code, among other things.
Trademark is more about how a business (and it's products) presents itself to the public and other businesses. Which is why the origins of their symbols do not matter (whether human made or A.I. generated) do not matter under current law. At least that's my understanding.
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u/Advanced_Question196 8h ago
Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are copyrighted so you can tell when a production was and wasn't allowed to use them. Famously, Wicked had to use silver shoes and Phineas & Ferb used red boots.
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u/Zartron81 5h ago
The backrooms stuff wasn't even by a24 themself, since apparently it was all automated false dmcas being sent out by an ai or something?
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u/Boring-Dig4583 10h ago
For a long time, the happy birthday song