“你这瓜保熟吗？” 演员孙红雷提起诉讼！

庭审现场

The first-ever national case involving a dispute over voice rights for film and television dialogue was brought to trial on Monday at the Chengdu Internet Court. Actor Sun Honglei, who was the leading role in the TV drama "Conquest", sued the game developer and supplier for their use of dialogue from the show in their game.

Due to significant disagreements within the adjudication panel, the court ultimately decided to postpone the verdict announcement to a later date.

In the TV series "Conquest", Sun Honglei played Liu Huaqiang. In one scene, a dispute arose between Liu and a vendor over underweight watermelons. Eventually, Liu managed to handle the situation, and this incident has given rise to an internet meme known as "Huaqiang buys watermelons." The phrase "Is your melon guaranteed to be ripe?" from the show has also become a classic catchphrase in recent years.

give rise to 引起

catchphrase [ˈkætʃfreɪz] n. 流行语

The game "The Watermelon Vendor's Battle with the Melon Buyer" has gained some recognition online. In this 3D gaming experience, players take on the role of a watermelon vendor, using their skills to confront a group of troublesome melon buyers.

At the beginning of the game, players encounter dialogue reminiscent of a famous scene from the TV series "Conquest", featuring lines like "Is your melon guaranteed to be ripe?" The game also includes various in-game items, such as golden melon particles, magnet stones, and raw melon eggs, which are inspired by elements from the TV show.

图片来源：《征服》电视剧截图

Sun Honglei contends that the game development companies, without his consent, created the game for profit, thereby infringing upon his voice rights. Furthermore, his in-game persona is depicted negatively, infringing upon his personal dignity and general personality rights.

In light of these concerns, Sun seeks a court order for both game development companies to publicly apologize and provide compensation of 450,000 yuan for economic losses and 50,000 yuan for emotional distress.

The trial centered on several critical disputes.

First, it focused on whether Sun Honglei, as an actor, possesses the right to assert voice and general personality rights infringement claims when his audio-visual works are used by others.

Second, it scrutinized whether the audio in the videogame is distinctive and infringes on Sun Honglei's voice rights, as well as whether the character depictions in the game harm his general personality rights.

Lastly, the trial addressed the legal responsibilities that the two game development companies should assume if their actions are deemed to be unlawful.