If you're one of the likely many Avengers fans who pre-ordered the Avengers' Phase One DVD Collection, you're in for a bit of a wait ahead of you. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the release date has now been pushed back to an "undisclosed" date in Spring. And all because of a German luggage manufactuer.
In early August, Marvel and Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment was sued by German luggage manufacturer Rimowa, which is claiming that the upcoming "Avengers" box set, out this September, is evidence of trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and creating unfair competition on it's attaché briefcase.
For the movie, Rimowa gave Marvel / Disney a briefcase for them to use as the case for the Tesseract. Rimowa is stating that "Marvel did not obtain any license or authorization from Rimowa to make replica copies of the cases for any purpose," which in this case is the briefcase replica found in the Avengers collector's box set.
According to the lawsuit, "Images of the replica briefcase on Marvel's advertising materials, and fan video from Marvel's product display at this year's Comic-Con convention, show the plastic 'replica case' to be a close copy of Rimowa's Topas attaché case in every respect but quality - from the proportions and coloring, to the style of the handle and latches, and, of course, in the use of the trademarked parallel ridges around the body of the case."
As a result of the lawsuit still standing, Marvel fans have a bit of a wait before hosting any Avengers movie marathons. The collection was to be a 10 disc super set that includes all the individual character films before they assembled; both Iron Man movies, Thor, Captain America, and the Incredible Hulk.
Thankfully, the Avengers stand-alone Blu-ray and DVD release date won't be affected. The home release will have 3 different versions: standard DVD, 2 disc Blu-Ray, and a 4 disc 3D Blu-Ray, for which the special features include:
- audio commentary by Joss Whedon
- gag reel
-deleted scenes including an alternate opening and extended scenes
-Soundgarden music video - "Live to Rise"
-2 featurettes, "Assembling the Ultimate Team," and "A Visual Journey"
And expect the 45 minutes that Whedon cut from the film to be present in one way or another. "The Avengers" hit home on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 25.