Spielberg’s 2011 release of 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn' (set to hit American Theaters in 2011) while debate and debacle ensue in Europe. Tintin introduced by Hergé on January 10, 1929; a cartoon which is well known to be undoubtedly the most popular cartoon of the 20th century, and their adventures have been translated into more than 50 languages. Although Hollywood demands the best stories to be told via film or animation; at any price, anger and disgust among thousands of European Tintin fans currently threaten to boycott Spielberg's big-screen adaptations in upcoming European releases.
Tintin Administrators go after Bob Garcia, French author of five “Tintin-o-phile” essays, and order the seizure and sale of his property.
In 2005 and 2006, Promocom (a non-profit organization set up in accordance with the French law of 1901) published five essays on Tintin, by writer Bob Garcia (“Jules Verne et Hergé d’un mythe à l’autre”, “Tintin à Baker Street”, “Tintin au pays du polar”, “Hergé la bibliothèque imaginaire”, “Hergé et le 7ème art”), printing an average of 500 copies of each. The goal was to increase familiarity with Tintin among a very young audience. Two of these works included several Hergé drawings by way of graphical citations, in full compliance with the 1974 Berne Convention (ratified by France), in order to illustrate the text. The other essays did not include any such graphics.
Neither Promocom, nor Bob Garcia, has earned a single penny, either in salary or royalties, from these quasi-confidential and self-financed publications. In spite of this, Nick Rodwell, the current successor in interest to Hergé, immediately attacked Bob Garcia and Promocom to bar distribution of these works.
The initial ruling – handed down on May 22, 2008, by a court in Nanterre, near Paris – accepted the principle of short graphical citations and sided with Bob Garcia on this point.
Nick Rodwell immediately appealed this decision.
The ruling on the appeal – handed down on September 17, 2009, by a court in Versailles, also near Paris – rescinded the decision in favor of graphical citations and ordered Bob Garcia to pay the astronomical sum of €40,000 (plus expenses) for injury to an author’s moral and proprietary rights, based on more-than-questionable arguments (he has been told, for example, to remove images of Tintin from his essay entitled “Jules Verne et Hergé d’un mythe à l’autre”, but that essay doesn’t have any!).
Through his attorney, Bob Garcia, who is experiencing some financial difficulties, proposed to Nick Rodwell a way to reconcile the issue (deferment of payment). Rodwell responded in the press that he was seeking a “humane solution” to this “regrettable incident”, but that same day he sent Bob Garcia a demand for payment with seizure and sale of his property, with a deadline of November 11, 2009.
As a result, Bob Garcia has, since that date, been living in fear of the arrival of officials who could appear at any time and empty his house and his meager bank account. Thousands of Tintin fans are demonstrating their support for him every day, threatening to boycott the Hergé Museum, Tintin-based products, and even future Spielberg movies based on the character, the rights to which Rodwell sold at a very handsome price.
On the pretext of defending the image of Tintin, Nick Rodwell is heaping threats upon pressure upon procedures upon personal insults aimed at journalists, Tintin fans and Tintin fan organizations.
By focusing in this way the ill will of all Tintin fans, isn’t Rodwell going to be harming Steven Spielberg’s interests? Isn’t that the goal?
Several web sites state that Bob Garcia might find himself against his will in the middle of a squabble the (much bigger) financial stakes of which will impact the ancillary rights of the Tintin property. Be that as it may, Bob Garcia states that, "he refuses to be Rodwell’s whipping boy and intends to make the unfair treatment – nay, the vicious attack on free speech that he has been the victim of – known to the world."
~ Portions Edited By AZR
