Sonichu: The Animated Series (Geno Samuel)

Chris files a copyright claim over the Sonichu series Geno attempted to make.

Geno attempted to produce an animated series based on Chris's comic and using his artwork but without Chris's permission. Geno monetized the project through his Patreon. Titled Sonichu: The Animated Series (no relation to the prior series by Spazkid), Geno posted a trailer for it in April 2025, then on 20 April, he uploaded "Episode 1: Sonichu's Origins", acknowledging Chris with "Written & Drawn by CHRISTIAN WESTON CHANDLER" in the end credits. This was followed by a second episode on 3 May. Chris then made a copyright removal request to YouTube over the videos using content from Sonichu 0, which was granted and resulted in the episodes being taken down and a copyright strike placed on Geno's channel. Geno has commented that Chris had a case due to him using Chris's artwork, and he confirmed the series would not be continuing, though episode 3 was finished, 4 nearly so, and voicework had been completed through 6. A few hours later, Chris made a statement confirming the legitimacy of the strike:

“

Hey, everyone. As some of you are aware, I have, indeed, personally struck down #GenoSamuel 's recent animations based from my books. I had felt ill will, as I was not personally consulted with nor involved in that project. Not to mention that he did not include links to my Etsy and Cwclight. In any event, had I been contacted, I would have considered collaborating with him and lend my voice for Sonichu Prime and Chris Chan. That remains a possibility, though. Regardless, I did feel like after the success of the documentary series, this endeavor would not have netted him the views he desired, as it does not recapture that metaphorical lightning in a bottle he had before. It is a shock, as others have experienced, when one's content or even channel gets taken down. I've been there before when my websites were hacked into and needed to be taken down, so I do empathize. ⚡💙⚡

”