Godzilla vs. Comcast

5:30 PM -- All together now: L-A-W-S-U-I-T. Toho -- you know, the Tokyo-based studio that owns the copyright to all things Godzilla -- is throwing the book at Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) and ad agency partner Goodby for featuring a larger than life battle lizard in one of the MSO's catchy "Comcast Town" branding spots (here's an example). Toho's alleging that they used the trademarked character without permission or paying licensing fees, according to Ad Age. Toho filed the complaint was filed Aug. 6 in a Los Angeles district court, but the MSO doesn't believe the spot infringes any copyright, according to the paper. So, what does a Godzilla license run these days? Not sure. But a lawyer representing Toho reportedly estimated that Comcast and Goodby should be on the hook for "certainly in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more." — Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News