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The product placement complaint was made by the Chongqing
Wulong Karst Tourism Group, which operates the Wulong Scenic
Area in southwest China. It marks the second dispute the movie
has faced in the world's second-largest film market where
buoyant box office revenues is drawing Hollywood filmmakers.
China Daily quoted Li Chu, a marketing manager for the location,
as saying the company was in talks with producer 1905 Internet
Technology and Paramount Pictures after they failed to show the
area's logo which confused some audiences about where the scenes
were shot. Beijing-based 1905 Internet Technology is the movie
channel arm of China Central Television.
"If we fail to compromise on a proposal that could remedy our
loss we will resort to legal procedures," Li said in the
newspaper's report on Monday.
Officials with Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom, were not
immediately available to comment.
Other media reports said the scenic area should shoulder some of
the blame because it contracted with 1905 and failed to deliver
its contract payment on time.
The tourism board plans to hold a press conference in Beijing on
Monday to explain its case, a spokesman said.
In June, a Chinese company demanded changes to the film because
it said Paramount did not meet its obligations to feature its
property in the movie. The dispute has since been resolved
between the parties without any edits to the film.
The special effects-laden movie, the fourth in the series of
films about form-changing Autobot robots that save the planet,
has generated more than $212 million in China alone since it
opened a week ago, close to its takings in the United States,
illustrating China's growing importance to Hollywood.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Matt Driskill)
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'Transformers'
producers face new dispute from Chinese location rep
