History Main / YouWannaGetSued

[[folder:Film]]

* {{Echocalypse}}: One easter egg is an obvious reference to the [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Pirahna plant]], looking just like one carved in red gemstone, with cat ears coming out of a cylinder that looks suspiciously like a warp pipe. Kiki says it best in the comments:
-->Bifrost has messed things up before. Fine. But [[WhoDares how dare you]] mess with a company known for its legal department this time?
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW'' when Lowe from ''[[Manga/MobileSuitGundamSeedAstray Gundam SEED Astray]]'' accidentally re-routes all the Red Frame's power to one of its hand plugs, and attacks an enemy with it. While this attack is known in its original series as the "Thunder Ball", [[Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico Gai Daigoji]] is cut off before he can suggest calling it the [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam "Shining Finger"]] - by a character who shares the same voice actor as [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Ryusei Date]], in a bit of creative irony (Ryusei's own R-1 has the [[SarcasmMode completely original]] T-Link Knuckle).
** In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration 2'', Sleigh Presty pilots a red mech that goes very fast. When one character suggests calling her the "[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Red Comet]]", his familiars break out this line.
* In the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'', Mega Man will sometimes converse with Roll or Auto instead of Dr. Light after acquiring a new weapon (screenshots with translations [[http://www.rockmanpm.com/?p=original/rockman7/labtalk here]]). One of these is likely meant as a parody of the trope since it references a property jointly-owned by Creator/{{Capcom}}:
--> '''Mega Man''': "With this Slash Claw, I can slice through anything."\\
'''Auto''': "Incredible! It's like [[VideoGame/{{Strider}} SXrXder HiXyuu]]!"\\
'''Mega Man''': "Promise you won't say that again."

* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', after the chapter's end, you can still go hide by the birds in Twilight Town and listen to them talk. One of the birds wants to open a pay site for real estate called "VideoGame/LuigisMansion". The other bird thinks he's heard the name somewhere before and warns him against using it, lest he get sued. (They go ahead and say the name because both are by Creator/{{Nintendo}}.)
* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', Pit comments that the Komaytos look a lot like Metroids. Viridi is not pleased and insists that "this game universe and [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} that game universe]] have ''nothing'' to do with each other!" Again, both are owned by Nintendo.

* In ''VideoGame/GemsOfWar'', the fact that the elven Glade Warden troop is pretty clearly [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Orlando Bloom's Legolas]] is lampshaded by the card text this way.
* ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'':
** Implied with Nezumi Castle in the amusement park on the Fourth Island, which is [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks a large, mouse-themed castle]]. Hajime says, "There's a lot of things I could say about this building, but it's probably better if I say nothing at all", and Monokuma and Monomi reveal that they're both terrified of mice.
** In the final trial, Monokuma threatens to [[OneWingedAngel reveal his true form]] to the remaining survivors:
--->'''Monokuma:''' A transformation is customary in a final boss battle, right? You know, like that one role-playing game? You know what game I'm talking about. [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Final]]--
--->'''Kazuichi Soda:''' Don't say it!
* In ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou'', the Roller Skates equipment features the following flavour text:
-->"There was this musical a while back - called something like "Moonlight Locomotive" - that made these babies super popular for a while. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry was wearing 'em! ...What's that? You say it was called [[Theatre/StarlightExpress Starlight Expre-]] whoa, whoa! Stop right there before we get in trouble!"

** Nezumi Castle in the amusement park on the Fourth Island is [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks a large, mouse-themed castle]]. Hajime says, "There's a lot of things I could say about this building, but it's probably better if I say nothing at all", and Monokuma and Monomi reveal that they're both terrified of mice.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. In Season 7, A.R.G.U.S. decides to bring back the Suicide Squad from earlier seasons, but calls it the Ghost Initiative instead as Warner Brothers stopped them using the word [[Film/SuicideSquad now it exists in the DCEU]]. Curtis starts to point out that Ghost Initiative is just a cooler name for the Suicide Squ--, but Lyla cuts him off.

* Used in the classic ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' parody "Bat Boy and Rubin!"

* ''WebVideo/GradeAUnderA'' once made a video exposing pranksters on Website/YouTube, but to avoid his video being taken down, he also made alternate explanations for every piece of proof that a video was staged using actors.

'''Willie:''' Shh... You wanna get sued?!

From the ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' episode "Nerdator": "Soon after, the following incident occurred in the office of computer whiz, Bill Gates, whom I can mention by name because he happens to be a close, personal friend of Steven Spielberg, the executive producer of this fine program, so he ''probably'' won't sue us."

* The ''Manga/HyperDolls'' manga has this when the GratuitousEnglish naming scheme for the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters Of The Week]] runs into an [[Franchise/{{Spider Man}} arachnid]] creature.

* In ''Manga/{{Ratman}}'', Super Zero Fatman is given his own Thememobile -- A tumblar called the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Fatmobile]]. An aside is asked to not tell Creator/WarnerBros...

* In [[Film/KickAss Kick-Ass]] the superhero Big Daddy is described several times as looking like Franchise/{{Batman}}, almost always followed by a panicked ''"[[NotUsingTheZWord I never said he looked like]] Franchise/{{Batman}}!!!"''

* In ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'', there's a minor villain named The Puffin. Like [[Franchise/{{Batman}} The Penguin]], he has an umbrella and a top hat, but as Yang points out: As long as they specify that he ''is'' a ''puffin'', they can't be sued.

* In a scene in ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'', Gonzo appears in the Batmobile, Scooter comments, "Hey, you're not Franchise/{{Batman}}!"

* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'': In [[Recap/StaticShockS2E5FrozenOut "Frozen Out"]], Virgil says "This is a job for..." but Richie interrupts him out of fear ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' will sue if Virgil finishes the sentence.

** Also, the ImageSong "Yuuchou Sentai Dararenjaa" cut short a reference to ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz.'' Also ironically, Bandai has the license to produce ''Franchise/KamenRider'' merchandise.

** Also, they referenced ''Dragon Quest V'' like above. "A childhood friend? Or a rich lady? One has lots of money... And the ability to cast Boho_mi and I___zun." (Bohoimi = Midheal and Ionazun = Kaboom)

'''Bart:''' You mean "''[[Literature/TheShining shining]].''"\\

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons,'' "Treehouse of Horror V," "The Shinning"

** The TropeNamer is a line from the "Treehouse Of Horror V" segment "The Shinning", which parodies ''Film/TheShining''
** In-universe in "Lisa the Beauty Queen." The school fair includes the tagline "The Happiest Place on Earth," which the blue-haired lawyer says is a Disneyland trademark and threatens to sue Skinner. However, Skinner then uses his Green Beret training to beat up the lawyer and his goons with frightening efficiency.

** In "Four Great Women And A Manicure", Lisa tells the story of Snow White. The blue-haired lawyer guy tells her she can't because the tale belongs to Disney, but Lisa counters this by claiming the tale has been out forever and isn't owned by anyone. Plus the dwarves were her own creation.
--->"Ho hi, ho hi, it's time to say goodbye. If Disney sues, we'll claim fair use, ho hi ho hi!"
** In "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious", "Sherri Bobbins" is immediately recognized to be an obvious {{Expy}} of Film/MaryPoppins, but she explains that she's a wholly original character, like "Ricky Rouse" or "Monald Muck".

** "Treehouse Of Horror XI" opens with the Simpson family cast as Series/TheMunsters. Lisa/Marilyn is carrying a book of copyright law.
** The episode "Children of a Lesser Clod" has an in-universe example: Krusty is singing to open an awards ceremony -- only to yell for the music to stop after the first line, saying "one more line and we have to pay for the song."
** "The President Wore Pearls" is a spoof of ''{{Music/Evita}}'' (with Lisa as Eva Peron), but the end credits include the statement [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope "On the advice of our lawyers, we have never heard of any musical about the life of Eva Peron"]].

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', in a ShoutOut to the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' series. (There were Gundams shooting, but heavily censored!)

* The first few minutes of ''LightNovel/StudentCouncilsDiscretion'' contain so many blatant {{Shout Out}}s the characters themselves start [[NoFourthWall warning each other over the legal trouble they might suffer]]. This continues throughout the series only less concentrated.

* This is a RunningGag in the [[ReferenceOverdosed reference-happy]] ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove''. In one of the ''Nyaruani'' shorts, [[OnlySaneMan Mahiro]] stops Nyarko from saying "VideoGame/LovePlus" by saying "Didn't I just recently tell you not to piss people off?", and in the OVA episode he prevents Cuuko from saying "Literature/AccelWorld" by [[{{Slapstick}} bopping her upside the head]].

* ''LightNovel/NoGameNoLife'':

* At one point in ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'', the party comes across what is clearly [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons a Beholder]]. However, when one of the party asks what it is, another member says it's [[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed a being that cannot be named]]. On one hand, it implies the monster is a horrifying EldritchAbomination that should be feared. On the other hand, it pokes fun at the fact that Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast, the creators of [=DnD=], take the copyrights on their original monsters ''very'' seriously and seldomly let them be properly used in other properties.

* The ''Hyper Dolls'' manga has this when the GratuitousEnglish naming scheme for the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters Of The Week]] runs into an [[Franchise/{{Spider Man}} arachnid]] creature.