Person Who Created Mermaids In Comic Book Sued For Intellectual Infringement

 July 05, 1856

News in a flash—Anders Voight, the person who came up with mermaids in a comic book, was sued by Mikel Vass, the great, great, great grandson of the person who came up with the idea of centaurs, for intellectual infringement. Vass claimed that the idea of a mermaid/merman (half-human, half-fish) is merely a twisted form of his great, great, great grandfather's idea of a centaur—which is half-man and half-horse. The court later dismissed the case, stating that it is also okay for anyone to make up whatever folklore character they want.