Esquire Philippines editor-in-chief Kristine Fonacier stands by their opinion piece on Alden Richards's upcoming drama series Victor Magtanggol.
The article titled Alden Richards is Definitely Not Thor in His Next TV Series points out the similarities of Alden's character with the character of Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, in the Avengers movie franchise.
In response, GMA-7 executive Annette Gozon-Valdes posted a status on Facebook saying that Esquire Philippines "should have waited for the show to launch to so you would understand what the show is about."
Here is the full post of the Kapuso Network executive:
"Your article lacks research. Even before Thor was a comic book character...he already existed in mythology. Thor is a Norse God...part of Norse mythology. They belong to the public domain.
"Don't you even wonder why so many movies and shows have been made in the past with Thor in it? Because anybody can make it without violating copyright laws for as long as their factual basis is the original mythology.
"Maybe you should have waited for the show to launch so you would understand what the show is about. Yes, the show has allusions to the Norse mythology, but Alden's character is not Thor. However, the hammer he has IS the hammer of Norse mythology called the Mjolnir. How he is able to get it is part of what will be revealed in the show Victor Magtanggol."
In a message sent to PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) today, July 2, Fonacier said that her team knows that the character Thor is already part of public domain.
Any creative work that belongs to the public domain means that it has no exclusive intellectual property rights, and therefore can be used by another work of art.
She said, "Of course, we're aware that Thor is a god from the Norse pantheon, and of course the character belongs to the public domain.
"That fact makes it legal to rip off the character, but it does not make it original.
"Ms. Gozon is right—many movies and other works of art have been based on Thor.
"Maybe the truly original move would've been to find a character in mythology that hasn't been so deeply associated with such a big pop culture phenomenon as Marvel's Thor.
"If people see the similarities between their character and the Thor of the MCU, then that's the risk they run for basing it off the same source material.
"That said, we'll wait to see the show to be able to really say if Victor Magtanggol is a fresh take on the character."
BACK STORY. Last June 30, Esquire Philippines published an article about Victor Magtanggol, the upcoming fantasy series of the Kapuso network.
The article was written as an open letter to Alden, whom Esquire Philippines commended for his acclaimed portrayal of Boni Ilagan in Alaala: A Martial Law Special, aired in 2017.
However, it also criticized Alden for accepting a role which "isn't looking so fresh," and that his character "looks just like" Thor from the movie Avengers: Infinity War.
The same article also collated reactions from netizens who echoed the same sentiments.
On July 1, 2018, GMA-7 executive Annette Gozon-Valdes cried foul over Esquire Philippines's review, saying that their article "lacks research," and that Thor is part of Norse mythology, therefore making it part of public domain.
Read: GMA-7 executive Annette Gozon-Valdes, sinagot ang mga humuhusga agad sa Victor Magtanggol ni Alden
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) remains open to any statement that both parties wish to issue regarding this matter.