Takuya Nakayama leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped over his stomach.
"Sega Galaxy's current strategy is to concentrate all our resources on expanding our core IPs. Since we have a proven track record of success, I want to fully integrate the Macross series into Sega's pan-entertainment ecosystem. We'll launch games, new anime, figures, and a full line of merchandise, building a super-matrix that spans the next decade. Matsushima, have Sotsu negotiate the deal. Get the copyright."
The conference room fell silent for a few seconds, the only sound the faint hum of the air conditioner.
Matsushima looked conflicted. He cleared his throat, appearing somewhat flustered. "Managing Director, this... this isn't an easy task."
Kiyoshi Hattori lifted his teacup, blew on the steam, and glanced sideways at Matsushima.
"What's the problem? With Sega's massive backing, Sotsu can't secure the deal?"
"It's not a question of money," Matsushima explained with a wry smile. "The people at Big West and Studio Nue are a bunch of madmen with artistic integrity. They treat Macross like their own child. Sunrise has dealt with them the most, so President Yamaura knows best. Given their track record, they'll never sell the copyright outright to anyone, no matter how high a price Sega offers."
Eiji Yamaura nodded in agreement, as if recalling a bit of an unpleasant experience.
"That's exactly right. They're incredibly controlling over their work. When we collaborated before, they'd personally oversee and repeatedly revise everything, down to the smallest detail of a mecha's paint job or even a few dozen seconds of BGM. Getting them to hand over the underlying IP rights is harder than climbing to heaven."
After listening, Takuya Nakayama didn't get angry. Instead, a faint smile touched the corners of his mouth.
He tapped the table twice with his fingers, making a crisp sound.
"If they won't sell it outright, then they won't sell it outright." Takuya Nakayama made the final call, setting the tone. "We don't need to alienate the original creators over ownership; that would be the stupidest approach. Have Sotsu negotiate a long-term exclusive partnership agreement with them. Sega will provide the funding, the technology, and the global distribution channels. They keep the copyright, but all subsequent animation production, game adaptations, and merchandise development must be exclusively licensed to Sega Galaxy. We'll leave them a generous share of the profits—what we want is the development rights and market share."
Matsushima rubbed his palms together, but the worried expression on his face didn't fade.
"Managing Director, we can negotiate a long-term partnership, and we're not afraid to throw money at it. But there's a bigger landmine here—one that'll blow up the moment we touch it."
Takuya Nakayama stopped tapping the table, his sharp gaze fixed on Matsushima. "Go on."
"The copyright for Macross is a notorious mess in the industry," Matsushima said, pulling a document from his briefcase and handing it over with both hands. "Big West and Studio Nue are indeed the original creators, but when the first anime was produced, Tatsunoko Production was also involved and provided the bulk of the funding."
Matsushima paused, swallowed hard, and continued, "Tatsunoko has always claimed they hold the full copyright to the original Macross. Years ago, in a bid for quick cash, Tatsunoko bundled the overseas rights and sold them to an American company called Harmony Gold. Harmony Gold then spliced Macross together with two completely unrelated anime series, creating Robotech for the US and European markets. To everyone's surprise, it became a massive hit and raked in a fortune."
Kiyoshi Hattori frowned. As an old-school businessman, he found such a chaotic affair utterly abhorrent.
"The original creators didn't sue them? They just watched them run wild with it?"
"Why haven't they sued?" Eiji Yamaura chuckled bitterly. "Big West is fuming, but the contract they signed back then was so vaguely worded it's a complete mess. Now, Big West and Studio Nue don't dare make a move on any new projects. They're terrified that the moment they invest heavily in a new anime, Tatsunoko and Harmony Gold will swoop in with that same muddy contract, sue them for copyright infringement, and snatch the fruit of their labor."
The atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy.
No one wanted to build a skyscraper on a plot of land with unclear ownership that could collapse at any moment.
If Sega poured a massive investment in now and it triggered a transnational copyright lawsuit, they might end up doing Tatsunoko and Harmony Gold's dirty work for them.
Takuya Nakayama looked at the documents in his hand, his mind drifting back to this old feud.
He still had some vague recollection of this copyright dispute.
In his past life, Big West and Tatsunoko had fought in court for years over this, nearly wasting the IP's golden age of development.
Ultimately, the court ruled that Tatsunoko only held the distribution rights for the original Macross anime. All mecha designs, character settings, and subsequent derivative works belonged entirely to Big West and Studio Nue.
As for Harmony Gold in the United States, they only held the distribution and merchandising rights for the original series in North America and Europe. They had no claim to the core IP of the entire Macross universe.
They were merely bluffing, wielding a feather as if it were a sword.
"Sega will settle this mess for them," Takuya Nakayama said, tossing the documents back onto the table with an air of absolute dominance.
Everyone stared at him in stunned silence.
"Matsushima," Takuya said, his gaze as sharp as a blade, "Contact the heads of Big West and Studio Nue tomorrow. Tell them Sega will not only sign a long-term partnership agreement with them but will also help them completely reclaim the Macross copyright from Tatsunoko!"
Matsushima stammered, "Managing Director, Tatsunoko won't be easy to deal with. They have the original contracts, and they've always been very aggressive—"
"Contracts have limits," Takuya interrupted coldly. "The core of the problem isn't Tatsunoko, but Harmony Gold across the ocean. Tatsunoko is only so confident because Harmony Gold turned Robotech into a major IP in the West, paying them massive licensing fees every year. If we neutralize Harmony Gold, Tatsunoko loses its biggest leverage and becomes a toothless tiger."
Kiyoshi Hattori set down his teacup, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy, old eyes. "So the Managing Director means to break the deadlock in the United States? By pulling the rug out from under them?"
"Exactly," Takuya Nakayama said, looking at Kiyoshi Hattori. "Instruct the North American branch to send lawyers to contact Harmony Gold. Don't mention our plans to develop a new Macross title. Just tell them Sega of North America is planning to release an arcade game with mecha elements in Europe and the Americas and wants to confirm the boundaries of their Robotech license to avoid infringement. At the same time, have Big West and Studio Nue register the specific trademarks for Macross Plus and Macross 7 in Europe and the Americas, effectively shutting down Harmony Gold's distribution rights for any works beyond the original series."
Takuya Nakayama sneered, his smile tinged with cunning. "Those Harmony Gold merchants are shrewd. They'd never dare claim rights they don't possess in front of Sega's legal team. Once our lawyers get a legally binding written document from them confirming they only hold the distribution rights for the original anime in Europe and the Americas—"
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