They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Is it really just about flattery or something else? Given the number of brands out there, were these products released with money driven intentions or the companies sincerely wanted to be unique?

  If you are an avid BJJ gi/gear enthusiast, you may argue how small the room for improvement is for the gis and related products. Among many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gi companies today, it is now a trend to stick towards tribute gis. Is this a good or a bad thing? When you have Star Wars, Dragon Ball, or even Ninja Turtles themed gis, is this really “thinking outside the box”? Also, is it a justifiable excuse to simply use pre-established popular works of art in order to get the brand out there?
Here is a short list of BJJ related products that made use of other works of art to establish their brand.
  1. Gi Reviews X Tatami Collab Gi “Order 66” Kimono
Currently communicating with Disney according to guys from Tatami, this is a blatant use of Star Wars characters. Could this gi lead towards a potential lawsuit if they push for its release? Gi Reviews made use of Star Wars as part of their site’s persona. From the memes, to the photos that you will see on their site, Gi Reviews is the epitome of a Star Wars fanatic X BJJ guy. Are you in favor of Order 66?  
  1. Gi Reviews x Strike Fightwear “Hoth” Gi
Coming out as a limited edition gi with words “Roll With the Force” plus a gi bag that shows imagery of what looks like hyperspace travel, this is yet another project by Gi Reviews that made use of Star Wars references. On the exterior, the Hoth Gi is a clean looking gi that can be bought with or without its rash guard lining.
  1. Modern Flow’s Dragon Ball Gi
Who doesn’t want to look like Goku when they were young? As ridiculous as it may be, it is an orange gi with the same sign that Goku uses on his back. Modern Flow even made use of the dragon ball on the pants, which could be a good basis of a lawsuit. Risky? Maybe yes.
According to Funimation’s copyright information on their website:
 All materials on this site, including, but not limited to cartoon characters, images, illustrations, audio clips, video clips, and compilations are protected by copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights which are owned and controlled by FUNimation Productions, Ltd. and its affiliates (collectively, "FUNimation") or by other parties that have licensed their material to FUNimation. Materials on FUNimation.com and related sites are solely for your personal, non-commercial use.
Kame hame ha anyone?
  1. VHTS Gundam Inspired Gi
VHTS is a fairly new and unknown brand. Based on our research, it is a NY based gi company that offered bi-color lapel lining. Is it a good thing to see the small guys come into the picture? Yes, definitely. So how did they use pre-established art? They made use of a Gundam robot on their ad. Not really a fan of mobile suit Gundams, since I stopped watching when I was 11, but this is definitely an attempt to capture a Gundam fanbase within the BJJ community.  Given the names G-1 and G-2 on the gis, do these pertain to Gundam Gis? According to Gundam.wikia.com, The name Gundam is copyrighted and owned by Bandai,
  1. Jitzilla
Ever thought of cross breeding Godzilla and Ninja Turtles and getting some fetal defects along the way? Well, you have Jitzilla. Looking at their page, Master Splinter didn’t help them at all with their poor customer service. This is exactly lazy marketing gone wrong.  They used Ninja Turtles as a gi's name, but it doesn’t seen effective.  Oh yeah, they need a graphic artist badly.
  1. Commes De Grappler/Fabrique Por Grappler
I’ve been hanging around the BJJ Gi Addicts Anonymous group for quite some time. Fabrique Por Grappler was Comme Des Grappler. Based on their Meerkatsu interview:
Meerkatsu: It closely mimics the name Comme des Garçon - a famous fashion house are you concerned about the branding overlap?

Not at all! In no way do we feel that their is a branding concern, COMME des GARCON is a high fashion brand. We in no way, other than "comme des" emulate or try to be like our inspiration COMME des GARCON. After all, "comme des" is a french expression and phrase. Excuse my french, (pun intended) comme des fuckdown might be asked the same question lol.
When you blatantly copy everything except one word together with the typography and branding, this is the definition of a rip off. Up to some levels, we do understand tribute gis and products. Could it be that they are simply fan boys? Possible. 

Here’s a comparison of Comme Des Garcon and Comme Des Ripper, oops Comme De Grappler (Now FPG).




If they are really what they claim to be in the Meerkatsu interview that they didn’t mimic Comme De Grappler, why change your brand’s name?

 Do you have more products in mind that used pre-established art in order to gain leverage in the BJJ market?