What legal case found McDonald’s liable for copying characters from H.R. Pufnstuf?

Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions v. McDonald’s Corp. was the case in which McDonald’s was found liable for copying characters from H.R. Pufnstuf.

The Kroffts created the children’s television program H.R. Pufnstuf, while McDonald’s developed the McDonaldland advertising world. The lawsuit alleged that McDonaldland characters and settings copied protected elements of the television program.

In 1977, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a finding that McDonald’s infringed the Kroffts’ copyrights and trademarks. The decision became an important copyright case because it discussed whether audiences would recognize substantial similarities between creative works.

The case is sometimes shortened in casual references to “the McDonaldland lawsuit.” Its formal title identifies the television-production company and McDonald’s Corporation and is the canonical legal name.