Whenever there is a giant amount of money, there is likely to be someone arguing they deserve of a cut of that money, whether they actually have a claim to it or not. And it's hard to imagine a much bigger pile of money than the one earned by Marvel Studios and The Avengers, the newly minted $1.5 billion movie that's set to come to Blu-Ray on September 25. You can buy just that movie that day, or you can shell out for Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled, a 10-disc collection that includes all of the Marvel films up to this point, and some pretty nifty collectible packaging.
But the packaging is exactly where Marvel is getting into trouble. The entire box is modeled after the metal briefcase that Nick Fury carries in the film, and according to the German company that made it, Rimowa GmbH, they don't have the rights to replicate it. THR reports that the company has filed a lawsuit against Marvel, claiming that the studio "did not obtain any license or authorization from Rimowa to make replica copies of the cases for any purposes." They actually did license the cases for the movie itself, but it's in making copies of the cases-- even copies that very blatantly are not actual briefcases-- that they're getting into trouble.
Take a look at the case below and make your own decision:
Rimowa doesn't have long to halt production or release of the Blu-Ray set, and given how much money it's likely to sell for, it seems unlikely Marvel will back down. But the company really does seem to have a case, and can likely get a cut of all that insane Avengers cash-- not bad for simply letting Samuel L. Jackson lend your company a bit of cool in the year's biggest movie.
