A video gamer known for his world-record score in the classic video game "Donkey Kong" filed a lawsuit claiming that a cartoon stole his likeness.
A New Jersey federal judge on Friday threw out Billy Mitchell's lawsuit against Cartoon Network.
Mitchell, a Hollywood, Florida native known for his long hair and beard, claimed that a character named Garrett Bobby Ferguson from the "Regular Show" depicted Mitchell.
However, Cartoon Network said the floating, bearded head that cheats to win an arcade game in the show is a transformative depiction of Mitchell.
That argument was enough for a judge to throw out the lawsuit. The judge ruled that the cartoon exaggerates Mitchell's traits to make him "cartoonishly evil", and that the show has First Amendment protection.
Mitchell featured in the documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," which tells the story of a gamer's attempt to beat Mitchell's high score.
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