The Darwin boy who’s taking on a global giant

WHEN Fannie Bay eight-year-old Angus Copelin-Walters dreamt up an idea of a local spin on the hit TV series, Shark Tank, he never thought he’d be facing down the giant Sony Entertainment Inc

Angus Copelin-Walters, 8, has received a trademark infringement from Sony Pictures Television Picture: MICHAEL FRANCHI

WHEN Fannie Bay eight-year-old Angus Copelin-Walters dreamt up an idea of a local spin on the hit TV series, Shark Tank, he never thought he’d be facing down the giant Sony Entertainment Inc.

Angus is no stranger to business. He featured in the NT News last year when starting his branded candy business, Croc Candy as a result of trying a more creative way of learning to overcome the challenges of dyslexia.

Since he quietly kicked off Croc Candy in July last year he has attracted a growing list of some of Darwin’s biggest businesses as clients.

His locally handcrafted candy is vegan, dairy-, nut- and gluten-free, and comes in more than 30 flavours.

Angus readily admits he is a big fan of the Shark Tank TV series. He says he was inspired by the ideas and feedback from the investors to the show’s business hopefuls, applying them to his own budding enterprise.

However his plans have hit a snag. When Angus decided to register the trademark Croc Tank under the category Class 41: Mentoring (education and training) the international corporate giant Sony Entertainment Inc in America was not impressed.

Although Angus’ trademark was aimed toward helping him support and promote awareness for dyslexia and showing others how you can achieve your goals at a young age by thinking differently, an objection was lodged by Sony, which owns the trademark.

So, Mum decided to take the croc by the tail and contact Sony’s Australian representatives, legal firm, Spruson and Ferguson, direct.

The representative she spoke with was aware of the application, but had no idea the applicant of the trademark was an eight year-old boy.

“Naturally this changed the whole tone of the conversation, and the representative immediately showed compassion and a keen interest in what Angus was seeking,” Joanne said.

“However, as the communication advanced, it was clear that Sony would still require some restrictions. Angus, full of excitement for his project, was not about to back down. So, now, both parties have entered into a cooling-off period, and are negotiating what Angus hopes, is a positive outcome.

“Sony’s Australian-based lawyers have been very understanding and accommodating and we appreciate this, because at the end of the day, we are talking about the hopes and dreams of a Territory kid.”

Despite this incident, Angus, is more determined than ever. “I am going to run a Croc Tank during October Business Month and I hope local businesses will support me in creating inspiration to kids just like me,” he said.