Forum - View topicNEWS: Geneon to Merge with Universal Pictures Japan
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Hon'ya-chan
 Posts: 973 |
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So does this mean we may see a revival of Geneon USA?
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dalbkino
 Posts: 47 Location: Wyoming |
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Huh...
So what does this mean for the geneon titles currently being distributed by funimation? |
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mangastudent
Posts: 10 |
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It had best mean absolutely nothing. A simple change in ownership does NOT allow a company to abrogate its current contracts. (Oops, I really shouldn't post too early in the morning, added "NOT" to the above.) Last edited by mangastudent on Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:23 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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daedelus
 Posts: 743 Location: Texas City, TX (ajd: 6/11/05) |
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I guess Geneon may not be Geneon anymore. They might decide to keep the name solely for their anime division to capitalize on name recognition. Then again, after last year's debacle, distancing themselves from the Geneon name may add confidence to futures customers and business partners. I wonder what the new name will be? |
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Colonel Wolfe
 Posts: 370 |
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What you have to remember is that Geneon didn't transfer the licensing rights to FUNI, they only allowed FUNI to distribute the titles. This means that any agreement that FUNI had with Geneon prior to the Universal/Geneon merge will be made "null and void." Look for Universal to exercise this right as well. Those titles are still owned and controlled by Geneon. FUNimation is just distributing the titles as the titles still maintain their "Geneon" company name on the DVD cover art. What you'll see is that FUNimation will probably be allowed to continue to sell the titles they have until the transfer to Universal is complete and I think we'll see Universal starting to release the Geneon catalogue sometime in the near future under a new company name. This is the kind of attention that anime really needs. Major Hollywood studios getting into the act of releasing anime. Since they have the neccessary capital needed to release them. We can also look forward to seeing boxed set releases instead of single DVD releases being that Universal has a penchant for only releasing boxed sets, except where it concerns movie releases. FUNI's contracts were between FUNI and Geneon/Dentsu before the Universal deal started getting discussed. I'm sure with Universal creating a new imprint for the new company that they'll be wanting to exercise their rights on releasing the entire Geneon catalogue. When the transfer takes place, that means that all rights to the entire Geneon catalogue will be transfered to Universal. |
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2250 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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I think we'll only really know what it means when we find out whether there will be any personnel changes.
In general, though, you've got to admit this sounds a lot more like Dentsu getting rid of a non-profitable part of their company than NBC acquiring something it thinks it can grow its business with  .
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Aresef
Posts: 918 Location: MD |
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The first thing I thought was King Kong anime.
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rankothefiremage
 Posts: 523 Location: Michigan |
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Odds are this will have little affect on Geneon USA, since Geneone USA never licensed all of Geneon Japan's titles anyway.
2 problems 1 I hope Uni knows that they need to keep up the subbed versions 2 Merger = job loss -G |
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ValkyrieZeroZeroOne
 Posts: 434 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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You're making very big assumptions that this will have any ramifications on the anime operations of Geneon Japan, much less the US subsidiary. At the moment it looks like Universal's Japanese subsidiary has agreed to merge with the company distributing its titles in Japan, with the purpose of having greater control over the distribution of its titles. There has been no mention of any plans of the company regarding the Japanese anime business, let alone the runnings of Geneon USA. Don't start speculating (or for that matter, getting your hopes up) on Universal suddenly becoming an anime distributor in America. Chances are the anime operations will be left to their own devices and the current distribution deal through Funimation will continue as is. |
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Calculusman
 Posts: 309 Location: Virginia |
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1) Why is this the case? I don't think contracts magically disappear because one company has been merged with another. 2) Why would they even want to get rid of that deal, anyway?
Maybe. It depends whether they're interested in reinitiate anime licensing and/or distribution. If they're not, then expect the status quo. If they're interested in licensing new shows, by the time they get around do it, there won't be very much incentive to pull out of the deal with Funimation, given that they're going to get through most of the titles in the deal by then, probably. Besides, it would be bad business practice and bad PR to relaunch your anime licensing and distro business by nulling a contract thus throwing shows back into limbo. I just don't see where it makes much sense for the titles Funimation is already distributing. Maybe...maybe Geneon and Funimation would work out a deal to where the what-used-to-be-Geneon company will seamlessly re-take over distribution of the titles or something, but that would be a new deal between Geneon and Funimation and probably wouldn't be Geneon just nulling the deal while screaming "mine! mine!" while clinging to their titles.[/b] |
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Richard J.
 Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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I don't know how to take this news but I have my doubts that this is a good thing. The last times a major company has tried to get into anime, they either screwed up royally (several Sony attempts spring to mind) or they just pulled out and washed their hands of anime (Sojitiz anyone?) If the marketing machine of a major company like that were to try to promote anime, it could be an incredible boost to sales.
However, with the limited profits that can be made from anime given the current market and the non-monetized fanbase (fansub junkies) I doubt we'll see any increase in marketing. At the same time, any release that does not come out 100% complete from the beginning can be considered at risk of just stopping at any time as an executive goes "oh, we're not getting enough money from that." I hope this news turns out to have positive effects but past experiences have made me wary of this sort of this sort of thing. Also, this had better not stop me from getting the rest of the Geneon Orphans. |
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RadicaLElly
 Posts: 194 Location: Coral Springs, FL |
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Just to clarify people, this is Geneon JAPAN we're talking about. They have little to nothing to do with Geneon USA.
It likely won't have much, if any, affect on the R1 market. |
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Colonel Wolfe
Posts: 370 |
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Calculus, do I have to spell it out for you? Funimation's deal was with Geneon NOT with Universal. When Universal acquires Geneon that makes all contracts that Geneon may have made with other companies 'null and void' and that new agreements or contracts would need to be negotiated with the new company.
Geneon still owns the licenses to those anime that Funimation has been releasing. Funimation only distributes the titles and their contract is not with Geneon. Ergo, Universal now holds the rights to Geneon's catalogue of titles and since the original contract was with Geneon and not Universal, who acquired the company after the Funimation and Geneon deal then that means Universal can legally void those contracts. |
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Furudanuki
 Posts: 1874 |
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I have to strongly disagree with that sort of blanket statement. When a company is bought out or merges with another company existing contracts are not automatically null and void: it depends upon the terms of those individual contracts as well as any laws and regulations that might come into play. Most, if not all, contracts of this nature have clauses that specifically govern what happens in the event of an ownership change for one or both of the parties involved. Often this will involve some sort of payment or forfeiture for early termination of the contract, but other terms could also have been agreed upon. When one company acquires another they do not simply get the assets - they also inherit the debts, liabilities, and contractual obligations of that company. Once they are in control Universal may indeed decide that they no longer want to do business with Funimation but, unless Funi's lawyers were astoundingly incompetent when they negotiated the deal with Geneon, they are not going to be able to wave their hand and make the contract go away. |
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sanosuke32
Posts: 454 |
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I doubt that it will have much affect on Geneon USA. But if it does, and we have to wait for more licensing issues on the shows Funi is distributing, I think I will just lose hope and stop watching these shows. Thank god Black Lagoon 2nd Barrage finished up when it did. Hellsing Ultimate is gonna go through every company by the time that its finished.
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