Top Shelf Settles Lost Girls Situation With UK Hospital; Sets UK & EU Release

As expected, Top Shelf Productions has reached an agreement with the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children whereby the comics company will withhold distribution of Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls in the United Kingdom and in Europe until January 1, 2008. The Hospital's copyright on JM Barrie's Peter Pan expires at the end of 2007. There had been some concern about the appearance of characters from Barrie's work in the massive, graphically sexual Top Shelf release. Here's the announcement as it appeared in a just-distributed Top Shelf newsletter.

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TOP SHELF SETTLES WITH THE
GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN
OVER LOST GIRLS/PETER PAN COPYRIGHT ISSUE
**************************************
Following very amicable discussions between the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (owners of the copyright to J M Barrie's PETER PAN) and ourselves, Top Shelf Productions (the publisher of LOST GIRLS by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie), the parties have agreed that, without conceding that the work necessarily breaches the GOSH copyright, Top Shelf Productions will withhold United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) distribution of LOST GIRLS until the end of 2007, when the Peter Pan copyright in the UK and EU expires. This means that a special UK First Edition will be released in the UK on 1 January 2008.

I flew to England and met with the Hospital on Oct 11th, and on that day we signed an agreement together putting to end the controversy surrounding this issue. It was a very nice meeting, and we're very glad that we could come to a peaceful settlement. We'll gear back up for a big UK and EU release of LOST GIRLS towards the end of next year. -- Chris

As I recall, the rights situation on Peter Pan is insane, with things like claims in the US based on when the play was first performed here complicating matters, so this kind of agreement is almost certainly a good thing, an overcoat thrown over a puddle of muddy water. The North American iteration of Lost Girls has enjoyed multiple printings and mostly glowing reviews.
 
posted 2:12 am PST | Permalink
 

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