Big West has officially recognized the licensing of Macross (Super Dimension Fortress Macross) by Harmony Gold in the 1980s, ending decades of concern over the series’ rights outside of Japan.
Today, Big West and Harmony Gold announced that previous conflict over the Macross and Robotech series has been resolved, with Big West acknowledging the proper licensing of the series by Harmony Gold, and Harmony Gold recognizing the Macross spin-offs that Big West has produced since the series’ initial release.
Existing licenses of the series were confirmed to be unaffected by this news. The press release includes information about the two parties working to distribute Macross outside of Japan:
“The landmark agreement immediately permits worldwide distribution of most of the Macross films and television sequels worldwide, and also confirms that Big West will not oppose the Japanese release of an anticipated upcoming live-action Robotech film. The agreement also recognizes Harmony Gold’s longstanding exclusive license with Tatsunoko for the use of the 41 Macross characters and mecha in the Robotech television series and related merchandise throughout the world excluding Japan.
Moving forward, both parties will cooperate on distribution regarding future Macross and Robotech projects for the benefit of both franchises.”
The series first released as Super Dimension Fortress Macross in 1982 in Japan, and was licensed by Harmony Gold USA (along with Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA) and released as Robotech in the United States in 1985.
In 2019, Funimation announced that it had acquired home video, streaming and merchandise rights to the Robotech series in partnership with Harmony Gold, with more info to come.
As always, stay tuned to Funimation for the latest news on all things anime, this season and beyond.
