Latest news with #EpochCompany
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Self-expression should be celebrated': Sylvanian Drama spills into real life as TikTok creator faces lawsuit
The internet-famous TikTok account Sylvanian Drama is now at the center of a real-world legal battle, as its creator faces a lawsuit from the brand behind the toys. Southwest Airlines' open seating is ending: Here's what the new 8-group boarding process will look like Here's exactly how much you'll save on your 2026 taxes, by income bracket: Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill benefits Why Third Amendment memes are suddenly taking over social media If you're unfamiliar, Sylvanian Drama features Sylvanian Families figurines (known as Calico Critters in the U.S.) acting out wild, often dark storylines involving kidnappings, drug abuse, and murder. One of its most viral videos, titled 'My Marriage Is Falling Apart,' has amassed 22.1 million views. A top comment calls it 'Shakespearean.' Thea Von Engelbrechten, based in Kildare, Ireland, launched the account in 2021. She later dropped out of college as the account exploded in popularity (it now has 2.5 million followers) and has since collaborated with brands like Netflix, Burberry, and Sephora. But in April, the drama left TikTok and landed in court. Epoch Company—the parent brand of Sylvanian Families—filed a copyright lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as first reported by the Irish Independent. The company accuses Von Engelbrechten of copyright and trademark infringement, as well as unfair competition. According to the complaint, 'Defendant is 'working to build Sylvanian Drama's own brand image' as an advertising and content creation service provider at the expense of Epoch's goodwill it has built over decades,' Vulture reports. Epoch states that TikTok had removed some videos following a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice issued in October 2023. However, after failing to reach a lasting agreement with Von Engelbrechten, the company wrote that it 'had no choice but to file this lawsuit.' The case underscores a broader issue: the legal risks creators face when centering content around trademarked brands. Epoch is seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work, in addition to profits generated by the Sylvanian Drama account. A pretrial conference is scheduled for August 14, during which both legal teams will explore settlement options or prepare for trial. Von Engelbrechten has not publicly addressed the lawsuit, and Sylvanian Drama has not posted on any platform since January. (Fast Company has reached out to her for comment.) Meanwhile, fans have flooded the account's pinned videos with messages of support. 'Someone make her a GoFundMe,' one commenter wrote. Designer Jeffrey Men, creator of the toy company Fancy Teddy, tells Fast Company: 'Self-expression should be celebrated, not suppressed. As a small, creator-led brand, I stand with anyone reimagining what toys can mean.' This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
‘Self-expression should be celebrated': Sylvanian Drama spills into real life as TikTok creator faces lawsuit
The internet-famous TikTok account Sylvanian Drama is now at the center of a real-world legal battle, as its creator faces a lawsuit from the brand behind the toys. If you're unfamiliar, Sylvanian Drama features Calico Critters acting out wild, often dark storylines involving kidnappings, drug abuse, and murder. One of its most viral videos, titled 'My marriage is falling apart,' has amassed 22.1 million views. A top comment calls it 'shakespearean.' Thea Von Engelbrechten, based in Kildare, Ireland, launched the account in 2021. She later dropped out of university as the account exploded in popularity (it now has 2.5 million followers) and has since collaborated with brands like Netflix, Burberry, and Sephora. But in April, the drama left TikTok and landed in court. Epoch Company—the parent brand of Sylvanian Families— filed a copyright lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as first reported by the Irish Independent. The company accuses Von Engelbrechten of copyright and trademark infringement, as well as unfair competition. According to the complaint, 'Defendant is 'working to build Sylvanian Drama's own brand image' as an advertising and content creation service provider at the expense of Epoch's goodwill it has built over decades,' Vulture reports. Epoch states that TikTok had removed some videos following a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice issued in October 2023. However, after failing to reach a lasting agreement with Von Engelbrechten, the company wrote that it 'had no choice but to file this lawsuit.' The case underscores a broader issue: the legal risks creators face when centering content around trademarked brands. Epoch is seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work, in addition to profits generated by the Sylvanian Drama account. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for August 14, during which both legal teams will explore settlement options or prepare for trial. Von Engelbrechten has not publicly addressed the lawsuit, and Sylvanian Drama has not posted on any platform since January. (Fast Company has reached out to her for comment.) Meanwhile, fans have flooded the account's pinned videos with messages of support. 'Someone make her a go fund me,' one commenter wrote. Creator Jeffrey Men, creator of the toy company Fancy Teddy, tells Fast Company, 'Self-expression should be celebrated, not suppressed. As a small, creator-led brand, I stand with anyone reimagining what toys can mean.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Doll maker sues popular TikTok account for ‘injury' to reputation
Fans are up in arms after a beloved TikTok account has been silent for months following a legal firestorm over its use of adorable toys in viral videos. Irish content creator Thea Von Engelbrechten is the brain behind Sylvanian Drama, a TikTok account with more than 2.5 million followers. The account is known for using dolls from Sylvanian Families — also known as Calico Critters in the US — to create soap opera-like storylines, the US Sun reported. Some videos feature the dolls, which are anthropomorphised woodland creatures, passed out drunk, holding weapons, and running over other dolls in cars, among other activities. But von Engelbrechten suddenly stopped posting videos earlier this year, with the last clip being an ad for the Netflix series Squid Game. According to court documents obtained by Vulture, the creator has been dealing with a legal battle for several months after the Epoch Company, a Japanese toy giant that created Sylvanian Families, filed a lawsuit against von Engelbrechten on April 7. The lawsuit accuses von Engelbrechten of copyright infringement and 'creating, publishing, and disseminating online advertising videos' using the dolls without Epoch's permission. Von Engelbrechten has also used the dolls in advertisements with major brands such as Marc Jacobs, Burberry, and Hilton Hotels, according to the lawsuit. Epoch claims von Engelbrechten's videos have caused 'irreparable injury' to its reputation and squandered potential licensing opportunities. 'Defendant is 'working to build Sylvanian Drama's own brand image' as an advertising and content creation service provider at the expense of Epoch's goodwill it has built over decades,' the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit is calling for a formal declaration that von Engelbrechten infringed on its copyright and committed acts of false endorsement. The company is also asking the court to issue an order preventing von Engelbrechten from any further alleged copyright infringement. Statutory damages of up to $150,000 (AU $229,000) per infringed work are being sought along with any profits the creator made from the account. It seems that Epoch has been upset with von Engelbrechten's work for years, with the company sending TikTok a Digital Millennium Copyright Act take-down notice over the account in October 2023, according to the lawsuit. Epoch argued that von Engelbrechten's didn't count as fair use, which resulted in TikTok disabling her account in April 2024. However, von Engelbrechten got her account back after filing a counter-notice because her content counted as parody. Epoch disagreed with this, arguing that the videos didn't carry a message about the dolls nor offer any commentary or criticism about them, according to the lawsuit. After von Engelbrechten's account was brought back, Epoch claims that it tried to reach an amicable resolution for nearly a year. However, von Engelbrechten allegedly doubled 'her efforts to exploit Epoch's copyrights and trademarks for her own commercial gain,' the lawsuit claims. Last year, von Engelbrechten told Marketing Brew that Epoch never reached out requesting a collaboration. 'I'd definitely be interested if they ever wanted to. But it's not something that has happened,' she told the outlet at the time. At the time of writing, von Engelbrechten has yet to formally respond to the lawsuit. After news of the lawsuit came to light, many of von Engelbrechten's followers have come to her defence. 'She's just a girl, don't sue her!' wrote one person on von Engelbrechten's latest TikTok. 'Sylvanian Drama dropping banger after banger only to get sued years later … true genius is never recognised,' wrote another person on X. 'Nooo Sylvanian Drama literally made me want to buy Sylvanian Families at my grown age and now they're getting sued???' tweeted another person. The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Epoch Company and von Engelbrechten for comment.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sylvanian Families' legal battle over TikTok drama
Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children's toys in dark and debauched storylines. The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even murder. The Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case in the US saying the videos are causing "irreparable injury" to its reputation. The owner of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming her works were "parody". The skits are such a hit that the account has 2.5 million followers and the videos have racked up 68 million likes. Sylvanian Drama also has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook. It has partnered with major brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for advertising posts. Sylvanian Families are marketed as "an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories". They live in stylish houses surrounded by luscious greenery, woodland, a meadow and a river. Characters have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat baby. They usually have wholesome adventures with stories entitled Picnic by the sea, Surprise shopping trip and Ice cream for everyone. 'Insecure people, diet culture, toxic men' But the SylvanianDrama TikTok account sees the creatures in costumes and fake eyelashes, with captions saying things like "My marriage is falling apart" and "My boyfriend won't post me on Instagram". Court documents filed by Epoch with the Southern District of New York on 4 July and seen by the BBC accuse Ms Von Engelbrechten of infringing the company's copyright without its permission, causing irreparable injury to its goodwill and reputation. The court document states that in an interview with influencer marketing company Fohr, Ms Von Engelbrechten said her inspiration for the storylines came from "cringey TV shows and early 2000s comedy". She went on: "I'm also really inspired by my cats because they are extremely sassy and self-obsessed and can be so cute, but they also have no morals when it comes to killing other animals. I try to embody that with the Sylvanians." Asked why she thought her videos were so popular she told Fohr: "Maybe it's because it's coming from the voice of a 22-year-old who struggles with the same things as [they do]. I have a lot of storylines about insecure people, diet culture, toxic men, and sustainability, which I think other girls my age are also thinking a lot about." A date has been set for 14 August for a pre-trial conference. This is when legal teams from both sides meet to explore settlement options or prepare the case for trial. Epoch Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sylvanian Families in legal fight over TikTok sex and drugs videos
Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children's toys in dark and debauched fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case in the US saying the videos are causing "irreparable injury" to its owner of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming her works were "parody". The skits are such a hit that the account has 2.5 million followers and the videos have racked up 68 million likes. Sylvanian Drama also has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X and has partnered with major brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for advertising posts. Sylvanian Families are marketed as "an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories".They live in stylish houses surrounded by luscious greenery, woodland, a meadow and a have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat usually have wholesome adventures with stories entitled Picnic by the sea, Surprise shopping trip and Ice cream for everyone. 'Insecure people, diet culture, toxic men' But the SylvanianDrama TikTok account sees the creatures in costumes and fake eyelashes, with captions saying things like "My marriage is falling apart" and "My boyfriend won't post me on Instagram".Court documents filed by Epoch with the Southern District of New York on 4 July and seen by the BBC accuse Ms Von Engelbrechten of infringing the company's copyright without its permission, causing irreparable injury to its goodwill and court document states that in an interview with influencer marketing company Fohr, Ms Von Engelbrechten said her inspiration for the storylines came from "cringey TV shows and early 2000s comedy".She went on: "I'm also really inspired by my cats because they are extremely sassy and self-obsessed and can be so cute, but they also have no morals when it comes to killing other animals. I try to embody that with the Sylvanians."Asked why she thought her videos were so popular she told Fohr: "Maybe it's because it's coming from the voice of a 22-year-old who struggles with the same things as [they do]. I have a lot of storylines about insecure people, diet culture, toxic men, and sustainability, which I think other girls my age are also thinking a lot about." A date has been set for 14 August for a pre-trial conference. This is when legal teams from both sides meet to explore settlement options or prepare the case for Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.
