LionsGate Decides To Play Nice

After a backlash from fans Lionsgate had stopped legal action against the Hunger Is Not A Game campaign that is using the publicity of the Hunger Games to do good and help people. Once again the internet wins and shows a corporation that it’s ok not to be a dick.

This is the first I had heard about any of this and I wish I had known that there were campaigns like this going on. Whenever something as big as The Hunger Games can be used to do good and not just rake in millions I like to follow and see how it’s being used.

Here is the press release from the Harry Potter Alliance that gives full details including a bit of a timeline of what has occurred.

Following Fan Outcry, Lionsgate Agrees to Allow “Hunger is Not a Game” Campaign to Continue

Boston, MA – On Thursday March 22, just one day after The New York Times ran a positive piece on the real-world hunger campaign, Hunger is Not a Game, Lionsgate, the movie studio that produced The Hunger Games sent a letter, which demanded that the campaign end immediately. In response, members, fans, and press alike expressed their outrage at such a demand and called for Lionsgate to reconsider. “Hunger is Not a Game” is working during the month of March to energize Hunger Games fans to work toward making a dent in real-world hunger in conjunction with the release of the movie. The campaign includes signing Oxfam’s GROW pledge to fight food injustice, planning community food drives and educating members on systematic causes of hunger throughout the world.

When fans heard about the letter it was clear that they wanted the studio to reconsider. Within the next day a petition was posted on Change.org with that intent, gathering 10,000 signatures in less than 24-hours and reaching a total that surpassed 18,000. Prominent journalists, best selling authors, and social media savants expressed their support for the campaign, amongst them Judd Apatow and Eli Pariser of MoveOn.org.

“We fans are not mere consumers. We are engaged citizens who take the messages of the stories we love seriously,” Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) Executive Director Andrew Slack said. “We believe that we can embody those messages to help individuals and communities across the world.”

On Friday night, just hours after Change.org launched its campaign, the LA Times reported that Lionsgate had rescinded, stating that they had no plans on pursuing legal action and that no further request to stop the campaign would occur. The campaign is continuing its last week of activities while Slack continues conversations with Lionsgate on how to work more effectively together in the future.

“While the incident with Lionsgate was a harmless misunderstanding, it is reflective of larger issues,” Slack continued. “We have been hoping for a year and a half to receive positive and cooperative dialogue from Warner Bros. on the questionable practices of their chocolate licensee, Behr’s. Though an independent report demonstrates that Harry Potter chocolate may have cocoa that comes from child slaves. Warner Bros has chosen to answer tens of thousands of concerned fans with silence. We hope the incident with Lionsgate could be a teachable moment for all studios around respecting when fans stand up for children’s rights.”