Line #4 Main/CopycatCover


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/BasicInstinct https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c2ad90f4b3bdb525582c5071252889a9.jpg]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:Subtle.]]
6
7	CoversAlwaysLie taken up by marketing. Copycat Covers tend to naturally occur during the release of more popular and better movies and games, and their aesthetic similarity seems intended to confuse less observant customers. This is especially common with stories that were originally in the public domain (Disney is a major victim of this) but might also be done retroactively long after the knockoff's release.
8
9	This is standard industry procedure with books. Whenever a movie or TV adaptation of a book comes out (or of a book on the same topic, or a completely unrelated topic ''by the same author''), a new edition of the book will almost always be printed with a Copycat Cover and a blurb on it somewhere hawking the movie or show.
10
11	Copycat covers can usually be spied out by being much lower quality and suspiciously lower in price.
12
13	A tactic often employed by TheMockbuster. See also: TrendCovers, TrailerSpoof. TheBreakfastClubPosterHomage is a SubTrope.
14	----
15	!!Examples:
16
17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
20	* A German company named Creator/DingoPictures makes these regularly, with badly animated knockoffs of Disney stories and even ''character designs''. A good number of these were released as [=PlayStation=] 2 [[MinigameGame minigame collections]] by the infamous Creator/PhoenixGames.
21	* Creator/GoodTimesEntertainment does this against any entry in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon based on a PublicDomainCharacter.
22	* The posters and DVD covers for ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' and ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie'' both show the same basic art of the protagonist and his friends in the foreground with the film's villain as an EvilOverlooker, with the only major difference being that Jimmy holds a weapon and Arnold doesn't. This was made especially evident when the movies' [=DVDs=] were reissued together as a Double Feature DVD release.
23	* [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-keLayxDyiP4/UCwnoWstokI/AAAAAAAAFhM/JwF5CKIMmfo/s1600/brave+poster.jpg This]] is, of course, a poster for ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}''. [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fvSKcAk0JwU/UCwmQ5jPHlI/AAAAAAAAFhE/UaanWGqZvSE/s1600/braver+dvd+cover.jpg This]] is the cover to the direct-to-DVD cartoon ''Braver''. Note that the actual cartoon is traditional cel-animation, the lead character wears a pink dress, and ''she isn't even a redhead'', she's blonde. The film was originally released six years earlier as ''A Fairy Tale Christmas'', and [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--uFQGjIrsM0/UCwlP5ZrkrI/AAAAAAAAFg8/Fu9D5qECh6s/s1600/a+fairytale+christmas.jpg this cover]] gives a better idea of what it's actually like.
24	* An infamous example occured with the Canadian film (the first Canadian AllCGICartoon film, at that) ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfSarila''. In America, it was marketed as ''Frozen Land'' and given a ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}''-like cover so obvious that Disney filed against them. In this case, it worked against the film because many people passed it off as a mockbuster of ''Frozen'', when the film itself was well-received. The film has nothing to do with ''Frozen'' or ''The Snow Queen''. It's actually a film about a Inuit girl living in 1910 Northern Canada.
25	* The hand-drawn animated film ''WesternAnimation/HelpImAFish'' was shown in US theaters in 2001. Even though the two films have little in common, a 2006 DVD release gave ''Help!'' a cover that made it look like a ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'' {{mockbuster}}: It was retitled ''A Fish Tale'', and the logo got wavy yellow text like that of ''Shark Tale''. The illustration was replaced with a group of CGI marine creatures, including a prominent shark, and no longer emphasizes that the three main characters are transformed humans. Compare [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Help%21_I%27m_a_Fish_UK_DVD_Cover.jpg the original cover]], [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5175T929S1L.jpg the "Fish Tale" cover]] and [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/dvd/images/a/ad/Shark_Tale_4x3_cover.JPG/revision/latest?cb=20150406040843 this]] ''Shark Tale'' cover.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
29	* Pictured atop this page is how ''Film/BasicInstinct'' was ripped off by ''Betrayed'', which has also been described as "''Basic Instinct'' [[{{Dissimile}} without sex]]".
30	* ''Pirates XXX'' was make to bank on the success of ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', by appealing to the crowd who would have liked the Creator/{{Disney}} movies if not for the fact that you couldn't really masturbate to them (unless your tastes were ''really weird''). Then it gets weird -- the director was so proud of his porno[[hottip:*:and needed to recoup costs--it's the most expensive porno of all time]] that he made an R-rated, sex-free version for public viewing.
31	* ''Flesh Gordon'', similarly, started as a [[ParallelPornTitles porn knockoff]] of ''[[Film/FlashGordonSerial Flash Gordon]]'', but the director was so proud of the special effects that he cut it down to an R and released it in theaters.
32	* In the US, a studio called Creator/TheAsylum is notorious for releasing [[TheMockbuster mockbusters]] that shamelessly rip off not only the movies themselves, but their posters as well. They've been hit with a hefty lawsuit from Fox over ''[[Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill2008 The Day the Earth Stopped]]''. It doesn't help that both titles translate the same way in French.
33	* ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'' received a DVD cover that looked extremely similar to the ''Film/Batman1989'' cover, only with a red version of the simpler 60's Batman logo instead of the newer yellow one. While that one at least has a parodic element to it that reflects the 1966 film's humorous tone, there's also another one that looks similar to the poster for ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', which doesn't really fit the movie's {{camp}}iness.
34	* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' had an alternate cover showing [[https://legendary-digital-network-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/13034606/blues-brothers-title.jpg Jake and Elwood]] gazing into each other's eyes. This imitated a number of covers for Casablanca with [[https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/great-movie-casablanca-1942/EB19960915REVIEWS08401010308AR.jpg Rick and Ilsa]] posed similarly.
35	* The cover of the ''Series/StrangersWithCandy'' movie is a sleazy parody of the cover of ''Film/MeanGirls''. Justified, as the movie (and the show it's based on) is a [[BlackComedy darkly comic]] parody of {{teen drama}}s and after-school specials.
36	* Hilariously, the newest DVD releases of ''Film/NearDark'' model their covers after the ''Film/{{Twilight}}'' films. Considering ''Film/NearDark'' features the more archetypal scary, violent, and unsexy vampires, Twifans could be in for quite a show if they picked this one up.
37	* The thriller ''Summer's Blood'', starring Creator/AshleyGreene as a woman being stalked by a family of {{serial killer}}s, had an alternate poster designed to cash in on the fact that Greene played Alice in ''Film/{{Twilight}}''. It even received a Copycat ''Title'' in the form of ''Summer's Moon'', done in a very ''Twilight''-inspired font. Compare [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjdiN2FhOTctM2MyOC00ZWU1LTk2ZWMtNDkwYjFhZjExYWE3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzg3NjQyOQ@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,676,1000_AL_.jpg the original poster]] to [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81vg5VYcDqL._SY445_.jpg the (pun intended) revamped one.]] Probably the most interesting part of the change was that the original {{tagline}}, "Abducted by a twisted family, will she become one of them to survive?" was cut down to just "Will she become one of them to survive?" Between the removal of the context, the new title, the change of the background from day to night (complete with full moon), the cropping out of the knife the character is holding, and the already-existing blood around her mouth, the new poster seems designed to evoke ''Twilight'', making viewers think that the movie will be about the girl deciding whether to become a vampire as opposed to a serial killer!
38	* Creator/TylerPerry's films:
39	** [[http://www.famousfix.com/post/i-can-do-bad-all-by-myself-14374052 This poster]] for ''Film/ICanDoBadAllByMyself'' was pretty obviously modeled on the one for ''Film/StrawDogs1971''. This was probably an {{homage}} that people were ''meant'' to notice, though.
40	** Likewise, ''Boo! A Madea Halloween'' had a whole slew of posters designed to homage classic horror films, such as ''[[http://www.impawards.com/2016/posters/boo_a_madea_halloween.jpg Halloween,]]'' ''[[http://cdn1-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/gallery/boo-a-madea-halloween/exorsisterposter.jpg The Exorcist,]]'' and ''[[https://web.archive.org/web/20190410232314/https://cdn.movieweb.com/img.site/PHoB22ugGPlFru_1_l.jpg The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.]]'' Again, this was fully intentional.
41	* Similarly to the above, the [[BMovie B-grade]] zombie film ''Film/{{Zombeavers}}'' released [[http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3281022/zombeavers-campaigns-for-oscar-gold-director-understand-the-key-to-horror/ a set]] of posters parodying those for ''Film/AmericanHustle'', ''Film/Her2013'', and ''Film/{{Gravity}}'', all with [[SelfDeprecation self-deprecating]] [[OurProductSucks quotes from critics]] attached.
42	* A DVD release of ''Film/TheAdventuresOfSherlockHolmes1939'' featuring Creator/BasilRathbone features [[http://covers.booktopia.com.au/big/9325626005446/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes.jpg a cover design]] that is [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eKDCzu5PMFE/TuuIatFySlI/AAAAAAAABoE/pn4VOjJV_zw/s1600/sherlock_holmes_movie_poster-normal.jpg a blatant attempt]] to cash in on the [[Film/SherlockHolmes2009 Robert Downey, Jr. films]].
43	* Similarly, the cover of ''Film/YoungSherlockHolmes'' was altered for its re-release to resemble the Robert Downey, Jr. films, from [[http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3885342464/tt0090357?ref_=tt_ov_i this]] to [[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81seeD3cO-L._SL1500_.jpg this.]]
44	* The VHS cover for ''The Eerie Midnight Horror Show'' is [[http://www.1000misspenthours.com/posters/posterse-g/eeriemidnighthorrorshow.jpg ridiculously similar]] to ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', down to the title (the movie itself is a ripoff of ''Film/TheExorcist''). WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob even expressed disgust at seeing that the [[http://media.flexiety.com/images/EerieMidnightHorrorShowa8082_f.jpg DVD one]] is nowhere as {{Narm}}y.
45	* ''Film/TheMarriageChronicles'' is obviously meant to be styled after the ''Film/LoveActually'' cover.
46	* Under homages, ''Film/MysteryDate1991'''s DVD release got a cover reminiscent of an Creator/AlfredHitchcock thriller such as ''Film/NorthByNorthWest''.
47	* [[http://film.thedigitalfix.com/protectedimage.php?image=CoverArt/roommate.jpg_13072011 One cover]] for ''Film/TheRoommate'' is suspiciously similar to [[http://www.moviematrix.de/mov/p/img/panic_room_cover.jpg that of]] ''Film/PanicRoom''.
48	* The covers for the 2015 straight-to-video film ''God of Thunder'' (a.k.a. ''Dark Universe''). The [[https://extraimago.com/images/2016/06/18/God-of-Thunder-Online.jpg former poster]] is a straight ripoff of ''Film/{{Thor}}'', while for [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE1ODc2NzQxOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDM4ODUwNjE@._V1_UY1200_CR135,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg the latter,]] just exchange the man and woman on the cover for Creator/ChanningTatum and Creator/MilaKunis and it's basically the cover for ''Film/JupiterAscending''.
49	* Deliberately invoked with the poster of ''Film/AmericanReunion'' which mimics the poster of the original ''American Pie'' film [[https://aldomni.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/american-reunion-american-pie-wallpaper.jpg by placing everybody in their original positions]] as a nice tribute.
50	* The cover of a DVD release of the horror movie ''Housebound'', which was originally released with [[http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2608579328/tt3504048?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_pos_12 this poster,]] has a new image that obviously channels ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' with a similar white background, font, image of a warped house, etc. Also, [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4009278/mediaviewer/rm3480741376 The poster]] for the 2015 film ''Shut In'' shares many of the same similarities to the ''Cabin in the Woods'' poster.
51	* The film ''Waste Land'' has a poster that seems based on that of ''Film/SinCity'', with the same font, font color and similar coloring scheme, and the characters are even posing in a way similar to those of ''Sin City''.
52	* The original theatrical poster for ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' posed Han and Leia in a clinch just like the poster for the 1967 theatrical rerelease of ''Film/GoneWithTheWind''.
53	* The 2014 Punjabi film ''Control Bhaji Control'' has [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rq5G-cpe2aU/U7_izKNnTAI/AAAAAAAAAP0/v5lkwmBVh5o/s1600/1025983_337644823057494_4545946697521830738_o.jpg a poster design]] that is a pretty blatant ripoff of ''Film/HorribleBosses'', right down to even featuring "Maneater" and "Psycho" labels.
54	* Compare and contrast [[https://bit.ly/2OX40Eu this poster]] for 2015's ''Film/HitmanAgent47'' with [[https://bit.ly/2Q6RX8q this one]] for 2010's ''Film/{{Inception}}''.
55	* ''Film/AFutileAndStupidGesture'' imitates the layout and typography of the infamous "If You Don't Buy This Magazine, We'll Kill This Dog" ''National Lampoon'' cover, with Creator/WillForte standing in for the dog.
56	* PlayedForLaughs with [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ayc6kVmiL._AC_SY679_.jpg one poster]] for ''Film/TheHitmansBodyguard''. The poster is an almost-exact recreation of [[https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/22/USAT/91fe7b9d-4af3-498b-9e7c-1f4a084e7729-MSDBODY_EC033.jpg the main poster]] for ''Film/TheBodyguard'' with the bodyguard carrying his ward--except the bodyguard, played by Creator/RyanReynolds, is [[HoYay carrying]] Creator/SamuelLJackson.
57	* Some of the artwork for the German film ''Film/TheComedianHarmonists'' (also known as ''Film/TheHarmonists'') prominently features, in addition to or even instead of the sextet whom the movie is actually about, a minor character portrayed as an expy of Liza Minnelli's character Sally Bowles from ''Film/{{Cabaret}}''.
58	* [[https://imgur.com/a/Xvs58b1 This]] Japanese cover for a porn movie (the image is SFW) recreates the layout and typography of [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/violent_cop_md_web_9.jpg the poster]] for Creator/TakeshiKitano's ''Film/ViolentCop'', putting a GirlWithPsychoWeapon FlippingTheBird in place of the stone-faced actor and director.
59	* ''Film/ReadyPlayerOne'', as part of its marketing campaign befitting its ReferenceOverdosed nature, had several [[https://www.slashfilm.com/556678/fantastic-ready-player-one-posters/ different alternate posters]] paying homage to such popular films as ''The Goonies'', ''Blade Runner'', ''The Matrix'', ''Bullitt'' and so on. Just like the movie itself, some loved them and others found them tacky and on-the-nose.
60	* ''Film/AustinPowersTheSpyWhoShaggedMe'' had a print ad in the later weeks of its theatrical run mimicking the poster art of ''Film/BigDaddy'', with Dr. Evil and Mini-Me peeing against the wall.
61	* After her high-profile marriage to [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]] in 2018, the 2013 Creator/MeghanMarkle rom-com ''Film/RandomEncounters'' was re-released in the UK under the slightly edited title ''A Random Encounter'' with [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/%22A_Random_Encounter%22_UK_Movie_Poster.jpg new cover art]] clearly designed to mimic ''Film/LaLaLand''. The only elements the two films have in common are romantic plots and a Los Angeles setting and the original poster [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1586525/mediaviewer/rm3557519360?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_pos_6 was more derivative of a standard rom-com]].
62	* The 2022 horror movie ''The Ghosts of Monday'' has [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13655580/mediaviewer/rm3799515393/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk a poster]] with a haunted house on the top half and the lower half of a woman's face below, very clearly imitating [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6763664/mediaviewer/rm890600960/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk the poster]] for ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse2018''.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Food]]
66	* Nabisco's healthier Snackwells line of products came out with green labeling. Shortly thereafter, other companies started mimicked the packaging for their healthier offerings. Fast forward ten years, and now it's considered the standard identification for a lower fat, lower sugar, lower sodium food alternative.
67	* The packaging for artificial sweeteners plays follow-the-leader with the first product to reach the market. Saccharine is always in pink packages (like Sweet'n'Low), aspartame is blue (like Equal), and sucralose is yellow (like Splenda).
68	* There are two kinds of store-brand cereals in the US: those that use similarly themed but distinct mascots, which can taste as good as or even better than the premium brands, like Malt-O-Meal... and those that don't even try to hide what they're copying, and whose taste match those efforts, like Super Value Plus. Or "Cheery Oats," which are virtually identical to the more popular Cheerios. Given that Cheerios are also made from oats, it's difficult to tell why there hasn't been a lawsuit.
69	* Decaf coffee carafes in restaurants tend to have orange handles. This is because Sanka, a once-dominant brand of decaffeinated coffee, used orange on its labels and its carafes. Although Sanka is almost a forgotten memory (at least in restaurants,) the mighty orange handle soldiers on.
70	* Crisps (potato chips) in the UK are generally colour-coded by flavour: red is Ready Salted, green is Cheese & Onion, blue is Salt & Vinegar, pink is Prawn Cocktail, brown is Barbecue Beef (or similar). Except for Walkers - the dominant brand - who switch green and blue... Of course, the "standard" colour coding could be considered a switch in the first place, because the company that came up with it in the first place (Tayto) uses red for cheese & onion and blue for salt & vinegar.
71	* The UK supermarket Asda's Puffin chocolate biscuits are their own brand verison of [=McVities=] Penguins, and used to come in a very similar wrapper (red, blue writing, picture of a black and white seabird). In 2011, [=McVities=] sued and won. They're still called Puffins, but the wrapper design is now completely different.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Literature]]
75	* An example that's laced with HypocriticalHumor: Nancy Stouffer, of ''Literature/TheLegendOfRahAndTheMuggles'' infamy, claimed that the name and likeness of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' were ripped off from her character "Larry Potter" (whose last name was added later to bolster the evidence for suing J.K. Rowling for plagiarism, as Rowling's lawyers discovered), and re-released the books with the title resident on covers so blatantly ripped off from the Bloomsbury editions of the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' novels that [[https://d1w7fb2mkkr3kw.cloudfront.net/assets/images/book/lrg/9781/5898/9781589893009.jpg they have to be seen to be believed.]]
76	* Pretty much every vampire book published in the last five years has a cover that looks exactly like ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga''. Even classic romance stories like ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' and ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' have appeared with ''Twilight''-inspired covers at some bookstores. Canadian bookstore chains Indigo, Coles, and Chapters (all owned by Indigo Books & Music Inc.) even displayed the Twilight-ified classics together during the marketing for Breaking Dawn.
77	* Probably to indicate shared elements (a humorous take on a British empire), the ''Literature/SpaceCaptainSmith'' novels have similar covers to the British ''Literature/{{Flashman}}'' covers.
78	* Odd example in which the two books have the same title and the copied book is fairly obscure. ''The Big Con'' is a book about con artists that inspired ''Film/TheSting'' and has a reissue cover that looks like [[http://www.amazon.com/Big-Story-Confidence-Man/dp/0385495382/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301936820&sr=1-1 this]]. ''The Big Con'' is also the title of a work attacking conservative economic philosophies, which has used [[http://www.progressivebookclub.com/var/pbc/images/cover_the_big_con1.jpg this cover]] and later [[http://di105.shoppingshadow.com/images/di/36/51/5f/4b306d6e335856486e75644547745237497077-149x149-0-0.jpg this one]].
79	* ''Literature/TheQuantumThief'', a post-Singularity SpaceOpera, was first published in England and was given [[http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Thief-Hannu-Rajaniemi/dp/0765329492/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301937034&sr=1-1 this cover]] for the United States printing, which is very similar in font and design to the covers for books in the [[Literature/TheCulture Culture]] series: [[http://www.amazon.com/Surface-Detail-Iain-M-Banks/dp/0316123404/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1 compare]].
80	* Thanks to the huge boost in popularity ''Series/GameOfThrones'' has given to his writing, George R.R. Martin's humorous science fiction novel ''Literature/TufVoyaging'' was reissued, and [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AQy03aqavJc/TyVAAlKaVmI/AAAAAAAAEto/pedqZ8UMVo0/s1600/Tuf%2BVoyaging.jpg one of its covers]] definitely plays off of the Medieval Fantasy setting of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''.
81	* The cover of at least one edition of ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' has a burning brooch (that looks suspiciously like the mockingjay pin from ''Literature/TheHungerGames'') set against a dark background. Sure, the series starts with a 16 year old girl facing a traumatically special day in her life, and it's told in first person but... erm... ''The Hunger Games'' it ain't.
82	* The 1985 speculative-future-science book ''Life Off Earth'' had nothing to do with the ''Life'' series of wildlife documentaries by Creator/DavidAttenborough beyond the similarity of the title to ''Life On Earth'' ... and [[http://pictures.abebooks.com/BESLEYS/14013204969.jpg a cover]] that deliberately mimics [[http://pictures.abebooks.com/MITZIBRENDA/8178748262.jpg the book adaptation]] of the series, only with the tree frog turned into an alien.
83	* [=HarperCollins=] published a new UK edition of ''Literature/TheThirteenProblems'' by Creator/AgathaChristie in 2021, under the [[MarketBasedTitle US title]] of ''The Tuesday Club Murders'', written in a slanted font not entirely dissimilar to the previous year's bestseller ''Literature/TheThursdayMurderClub'' by Creator/RichardOsman. The blurb begins "The ORIGINAL weekday murder club".
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
87	* Some copies of the History Channel's ''The 300 Spartans'' have been modified to look like the cover of ''Film/ThreeHundred'' soon after the DVD release. The resemblance continues in the documentary itself, sepia-tones and all. Only perhaps more historically accurate.
88	* The title card for the {{Creator/MTV}} reality show ''Series/SixteenAndPregnant'' rips off ''Film/{{Juno}}''.
89	* The poster for ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'' has a near-identical composition to that of the first posters for ''Series/{{Euphoria}}'', both showing the left side of a distressed teenage girl's face and being heavily color-saturated, the former with blue and purple colors and the latter with yellow.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Video Games]]
93	* The cover art for ''Billy the Wizard'' imitates the cover art of the game adaptation of ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone''.
94	* An awful lot of so-called [[ShoddyKnockoffProduct "1000-in-1" ROM-loading video game systems]] mimic the look of consoles current at the time.
95	* ''Pirates'' was a Platform/PlayStation2 game released right around the time ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' came out. Interestingly, the official game for the movie apparently began as an unrelated pirate game.
96	* ''VideoGame/{{Pyst}}'' and its planned sequel ''Driven'' had the excuse of explicitly identifying themselves as parodies, and the developers would probably have won if a lawsuit was filed against them.
97	* A promotional CGI render Capcom made for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' shows [[FemmeFatale Ada Wong]] posing similar to the way Anne Parillaud did for the ''Series/LaFemmeNikita'' movie poster. Probably more of an {{homage}} than anything else, though.
98	* The cover artwork for the original ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' is a blatant trace-over of a promotional still of Michael Biehn in ''Film/TheTerminator''.
99	* The cover artwork for the NES version of ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' is based on two different promotional stills of Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger from the movie ''Film/{{Predator}}''.
100	* The cover artwork for ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon Advance'' is based on a promotional still of Creator/BruceLee and Creator/ChuckNorris from ''Film/WayOfTheDragon''.
101	* [[http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=4090&image=1 This flyer]] for the Creator/{{Konami}} arcade game ''Majū no Ōkoku'' (released as ''VideoGame/DarkAdventure'' in the United States and ''Devil World'' in other regions) is a blatant copycat of the poster for ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Appropriately enough, the game's Franchise/IndianaJones-ripoff protagonist stands in for Creator/HarrisonFord.
102	* [[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/tracing/tracing.htm This article]] from Website/HardcoreGaming101 compiles tons of examples, including a few mentioned above. Video game art directors have rarely seemed to have an issue with plagiarism.
103	* The cover and title screen of ''VideoGame/PowerBlade'' show what looks a lot like Arnold Schwarzenegger in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''.
104	* The box art of ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' copied Ash's poster pose from ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness''.
105	* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' used to mimic the covers of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' to confuse parents and kids, then they actually became popular.
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Theatre]]
109	* ''Theatre/ForbiddenBroadway''[='s=] "Original Cast Recording" had a cover based on the poster art for ''Theatre/MerrilyWeRollAlong'', though parody is clearly the justification here.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Web Original]]
113	* The DVD release of the same-titled WebAnimation which inspired ''Film/UndercoverBrother'' mimicked the derivative film's poster.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Western Animation]]
117	* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' has [[https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zgAAAOSwbDlhuhT7/s-l600.jpg a DVD cover]] that blatantly duplicates the movie poster of ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}''.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Other]]
121	* Any number of Chinese cars; Shuanghuan CEO (BMW X5), Great Wall Florid (Scion [=xA=] with Toyota Yaris nose), Huo Yun Electromobile (Smart Fortwo), FAW F5 (Volkswagen Jetta) and so on. This doesn't count licensed clones and [[MarketBasedTitle rebadged cars]] (Daewoo Lacetti/Chevrolet Optra, or Pontiac GTO and Vauxhall (Holden) Monaro), which are a different matter entirely and a long tradition in the auto industry.
122	* A sleazy practice among a number of less-reputable for-profit colleges is to rip off the name of a far more respected school in order to trick incoming students into thinking they're affiliated with them. At least one college recruiting envelope said [In large bold print] "Northwestern College of Law" [in small print] "of Lewis & Clark College." There's also a "Berkeley College" that likes to advertise in the New York Tri-State area. More often than not, any degrees offered by these schools are likely to be ADegreeInUseless due to the lack of accreditation. Given that for-profit colleges are [[http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2016/07/why_are_people_so_easily_exploited_by_for_profit_colleges_stealing_america.html a major driving force]] behind the student loan crisis (a massively disproportionate share of American college students with student loan debt got it by attending a for-profit school), these tactics are especially predatory here.
123	* ''Magazine/PrivateEye'' has a column about examples of this trope with book covers. One of the most popular covers appears to be a man in a dark coat striding dramatically away from the viewer into a winter scene.
124	* Instant Immersion, a language-learning software that [[FollowTheLeader apes Rosetta Stone's yellow packaging]]. It's significantly cheaper; however, the contents are... considerably cheaper.
125	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CopycatCover