Marigold’s Rossy Ogawa apologizes to Stardom for copyright violation
Marigold’s Rossy Ogawa has issued an apology after an investigation found that he violated the copyright of his former employer.
Back in January, Stardom accused rival promotion Marigold of intellectual property violation over a Mayu Iwatani card collection it was selling. The collection, which celebrated Iwatani’s 15th anniversary in pro wrestling, included photos of Iwatani during her time with Stardom. Marigold launched an investigation into the situation — which has now concluded with Ogawa issuing an apology to Stardom:
- Upon investigation, we discovered that our Representative Director, Rossy Ogawa, had used data obtained and retained in connection with his past work at Stardom Co., Ltd. in the production of the Products without Stardom Co., Ltd.’s permission. This constituted an infringement of the copyrights and publicity rights held or managed by Stardom Co., Ltd., as well as an act of unfair competition.
- Consequently, we have immediately ceased the manufacture and sale of the Products. Some of the cards in this product are the property of Stardom Co., Ltd., and therefore the notation ‘Marigold Co. Ltd.’ was incorrect; we hereby correct this error.
- We sincerely apologize to Stardom Co., Ltd. and all related parties for the significant inconvenience this matter has caused. This incident was caused solely by our company’s lack of awareness regarding intellectual property rights, and we are committed to taking measures to prevent a recurrence.
- We sincerely apologize for this.
Ogawa was one of the founders of Stardom but departed the company in 2024 amid a contentious split. He started up Marigold after that, with Iwatani coming with him as one of the company’s top stars.
— ロッシー小川 Rossy Ogawa (@rossyogawa) April 13, 2026
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.