Walt Disney production company Lucasfilm is suing themed Chilean car wash Star Wash, accusing it of plagiarising the galactic film saga Star Wars.
Key points:
- When he received the lawsuit from the creator of Star Wars, the owner of the car wash said he was in the process of registering his brand with the Chilean patent authority.
- As the name Star Wash could be interpreted as being connected to the franchise, attorneys claim Lucasfilm wishes to prevent its registration.
- According to the owner of Star Wash, there is enough differentiation between the name and the movie franchise to prevent confusion.
On a regular day at Star Wash, a car wash company on the outskirts of Chilean capital Santiago, patrons can see Chewbacca or a stormtrooper wiping down hoods or Darth Vader appearing to use The Force to summon cleaning cloths.
But according to the law firm defending the car wash, Matias Jara, the owner, received a lawsuit from Lucasfilm, the company that created the franchise, while he was registering his brand with the Chilean patent authority, INAPI.
Lucasfilm, according to Mr. Jara’s attorneys, is trying to prevent the name from being registered because people might mistakenly believe the brand is associated with it.
According to the lawyers, it had not caused any problems with the attendees.
Lucasfilm, which was acquired by Disney in 2012, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an effort to prevent confusion, Mr. Jara contends that the name is sufficiently distinct from the film franchise in his lawsuit.
He further contends that although toys, furniture, and non-alcoholic beverages are covered by the production company’s copyright, cleaning cars is not.
“We are obviously impacted by this lawsuit. We’re a small business and we’re spending on things we hadn’t budgeted for,” Mr Jara said.
He said his young daughter had thought of the wordplay while on a family trip to a Disney theme park in the US which features a Star Wars area.
“We do not produce films, market their goods, or do anything similar,” Mr. Jara continued.
He did note his business was, however, a “stellar” car wash.
