Animation studio GoHands is preparing to go to court after suing King Records for failure to pay for the production of ‘Tokyo Babylon 2021’, estimated at $ 4.1 million.
According to the lawsuit, GoHands agreed to animate a two-part season consisting of 21 episodes for King Records, of which it delivered 13 chapters in November 2020 and whose payment was scheduled for December of the same year, for a total of $ 2.87 million.
King Records ignored contractual responsibilities and unilaterally canceled the deal in January, so GoHands not only requires payment for completed chapters in the lawsuit, but also includes those agreed to deliver later in 2021.
A battle that can only be won in court
While GoHands has a strong case in the eyes of the law, in the court of public opinion the response could be less flattering and this is due to the reason King Records canceled the contract.
In November 2020, the production company released the designs of the protagonists of the anime that would adapt the manga written and illustrated by CLAMP, to unleash a great scandal due to the plagiarism of the clothing they used.
Taking as clear references the outfits and poses of bands like Red Velvet and popular collectible figures, King Records claimed that they had publicly lost confidence in the studio. However, GoHands tells a different story.
The animation studio admitted that the designs were too similar to be a mere coincidence and stated that they would work on it, while King Records urged them to continue working on the work for later, in January 2021, to cancel the project and refuse to pay. .
Of course, when it comes to breaking a unilateral contract, GoHands has the upper hand, so it will be interesting to see how the justice system proceeds in this instance.
