Sylvanian Family toymaker drops lawsuit against Irish social media account
The account, called Sylvanian Drama, is run by Thea Von Engelbrechten from Co Kildare and became massively popular during lockdown.
The acccount uses the Sylvanian Families toys to create soap-style storylines, which can often get quite dark and murderous, and has accumulated around 1million followers on Instagram and 2.5million on TikTok. The 'Sylvanian Drama' seems to have come to an end. Pic: Sylvanian Families
As the page's fame rose, it caught the attention of Epoch, aka the company who first launched Sylvanian Families in 1985, who later filed a lawsuit in New York alleging 'copyright infringement' and 'irreparable injury' to the brand's reputation.
Brands such as Marc Jacobs, Sephora, Netflix and Kate Spade, however, were massive fans of the page, collaborating with them on advertising and engaging in sponsorship deals.
One of the page's most popular videos, which has more than 3million views on Instagram alone, sees a character be asked if she wants to 'relapse' tonight, but she explains she is happily married with children now. As the page's fame rose, it caught the attention of Epoch, aka the company who first launched Sylvanian Families in 1985. Pic: Sylvanian Families
However, when her husband complains that he doesn't like the dinner she made, she goes off to her drug dealer's house, goes to find her ex, and all hell breaks loose.
The parody account submitted a defence of 'fair use', with Vincent Allen (the managing partner at Carstens, Allen and Gourley law firm) telling RTÉ News: 'She is introducing these characters in a completely different way than Epoch ever dreamed that they will be used and she's creating entertainment.'
'What is she copying? She's just using their toys in a way that they don't like.'
The case was due to go before a judge on August 14, with Epoch dismissing all claims on August 8.
The court documents read that the dismissal was 'without prejudice, with each party to bear its own costs, expenses and attorneys' fees.'
No details of the settlement were released, but it is understood there will be some changes made to the social media accounts.
RTÉ claimed that neither Epoch nor Ms Von Engelberg responded to their request for comment.
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