'Pineapple Express': Is that stoner shirt stolen, James Franco?

Even Nikki Finke is on this one.

Brooklyn-based T-shirt designer WOWCH is quite angry with the folks behind stoner comedy "Pineapple Express." On its website's blog, it's claiming that film's director David Gordon Green "ripped off" one of its designs featuring a cat in the mouth of a shark, available at Urban Outfitters stores circa 2005.

James Franco's character wears a strikingly similar T-shirt throughout the entire movie. It can also be seen on the poster for the film.

The New York Daily News took it upon themselves to ask Franco himself whether or not it was a coincidence:

"What? That's ridiculous," Franco exclaimed. "We completely created that shirt and that shark. David wanted me to wear a purple Monterey Bay T-shirt with a whale on it. I said I wasn't into the whale shirt, so he came up with his own design, which was the shark."

Gawker does a nice close-up comparison of the two shirts. What do you think?

If you still think the shirt is cool, you can get the original for $25 at WOWCH's website.

-- Denise Martin

Photo credit: Sony

Comments

[deb]

C'mon, Franco? To quote you....."What? That's ridiculous! That shirt is COMPLETELY a rip-off and it's obvious. You were too lazy to even design an original and that's bad.......but you don't want to give even a nod to someone who IS clever and creative? That IS ridiculous". At least we get a pretty clear picture of who you are.

[hinsel]

How lame...if anyone notices the 'original' shirt features a picture of a shark...now unless WOWCH either took the photo of the shark themselves or drew it by hand then they too have stepped on some copyright toes somewhere along the line...

[todd]

i like franco's shirt better, the original kinda sucks... where can i get one of the rip-off one?

[Sassmo]

Too bad WOWCH stole the design from 4Chan's Caturday...

[Freedom]

Keep in mind that while it is possible to steal a shirt, it is IMPOSSIBLE to steal a shirt design.

It's possible to COPY one, but COPYING IS NOT STEALING!

Don't play into the MAFIAA's hands by calling it stealing.

[John Denton]

ripped off in quotations. so hip

[chico]

I don't understand why the director would even allow himself to get into this position. It's hypocritical. The studio wouldn't want people going to the movies to record and bootleg Pineapple Express. The little guy has IP rights too.

[Michael Connelly]

Like, Dude, who cares?
No, seriously, you can copyright an image, but not an idea. No infringement here, too bad for the complainers, who could have just tried the "hey, buy our shirt, and you can look like Paul Franco" tack. But no...

[Ed]

It's an obvious RIP OFF. Pathetic. HOLLYWOOD - WHEN WILL YOU GET ONE ORIGINAL IDEA?

Quit ripping off british tv and REMAKING every movie ever made.

In the words of Edina Monsoon - "These kings of bastardization - these are the people who have taken everything that is original and good and attached it to a toilet cleaner."

[Karl]

I was prepared to take the filmmakers side, but then I looked at the shirts. This IS the same design. They just flipped it and colored it differently. I can't believe anyone would claim it isn't.

[Marcie]

I looked at both shirts- the second is VERY similar to the first so, it does make me stop and think. However, it's not that simple. Could it have been a deliberate rip-off? Yes, but the director is smart enough to know that would potentially bring trouble. It is also possible that David Gordon Green saw the design somewhere then "created" it thinking it was his own. Our subconscious minds do things like that - it happens all the time. I think it even happened to Helen Keller. Ideas and designs are things that just come together at the right time. Often people in different parts of the world "design" or "create" an invention at nearly the same time then fight over who invented it.

[Marcie]

Oh - and by the way..."Freedom"? Copying IS stealing - just ask any artist or copyright lawyer.

[Lawya in NOLA]

Fashion has no protection by the law. You can completely rip off clothes, down to the stitch. The only protection is that you can't call them the name of the ripped off product. For example you can sell a replica gucci legally, but if you call it a gucci and then sell it, that is an actionable offense which the company can and has sued for successfully.

It's a fairly stupid design anyway. I prefer the gorilla and the shark high-fiving in front of an explosion.

[Joe]

I'm from the monterey bay and I really wished they had used that shirt instead. Eat it, Franco

[Apocaligula]

The new Judas Priest Album Nostradamus rocks, i do not think it is Spinal Tap. The mixture of heavy metal and opera is awesome. Rob Halford still has got the high octane wale. He is the Heavy Metal Andrea Bocelli. So you can tell Franco he can wear whatever shirt he wants. It does not matter!

[Mac]

It is a T-Shirt, who cares, that original T-shirt guy is acting like its some Amazing Creation that is going to change the way we live. Invent multimillion dollar idea and then he can complain all he wants.

[Jaylike Birds]

The comment elsewhere, that you can't complain if someone else ripped off the Jaws IIID shark, put a cat in its mouth, and did a better job of it, just because you (might? 4Chan?) have done it first, I think is relevant. And i don't think my sentence structure affects the point. Either.

[Max]

Wowch Rules,Franco is a giant douche.

[nick]

you can get the good ripped off shirt on ebay for lik 15 $ or less i got one on there for 17$including shipping