{"id":1804,"date":"2017-10-20T17:56:30","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T21:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/jsel\/?p=1804"},"modified":"2023-07-25T11:55:38","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T15:55:38","slug":"disney-not-pleased-knock-off-party-characters-sues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/jsel\/2017\/10\/disney-not-pleased-knock-off-party-characters-sues\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney, Not Pleased Knock-Off Party Characters, Sues"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Disney doesn\u2019t want you to hire \u201cBig Hairy Guy,\u201d a Chewbacca lookalike, for your child\u2019s next birthday party. Disney and its corporate affiliates have filed a lawsuit against Characters For Hire, LLC (“CFH”) for copyright and trademark infringement. Though CFH changes the names of many of its characters, such as Darth Vader to \u201cDark Lord,\u201d Star Wars to \u201cStar Battles,\u201d and Darth Maul to \u201cMauler,\u201d Disney will not have it. Disney claims<\/a> that CFH\u2019s \u201cshoddy services\u201d have resulted in a reputation (as evidenced by CFH\u2019s \u201cF\u201d rating with the BBB and poor Yelp reviews) that \u201cis fundamentally at odds with Plaintiff\u2019s stellar reputation for excellent quality and customer service.\u201d Disney isn\u2019t just concerned with lost revenue because of CFH\u2019s failure to acquire proper licenses- the company is worried that customers’ experiences with CFH tarnishes their views of Disney. Elsa and Anna\u2019s unprofessional rendition of \u201cLet It Go\u201d just might ruin the all of Frozen<\/em> for you and your five-year old.<\/p>\n

While small companies often fold before this entertainment behemoth, it looks like CFH isn\u2019t backing down without a fight. The defendant and others<\/a> think that CFH might have a shot at saving at least some of its characters, stating in its response<\/a> to Disney\u2019s motion for summary judgment that its \u201cuse of characters\u00a0from\u00a0Norse\u00a0mythology, such as Thor and Loki, or centuries-old fairy tales and folk tales, like\u00a0Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Aladdin and Princess Aurora do not infringe upon any original expression added by Plaintiffs to these public domain\u00a0characters.\u201d In other words, Disney might not have a monopoly on these characters it claims to have. With allegations such as these, the effects of this case might extend beyond requiring parents to pay full price for licensed lookalikes at children\u2019s birthday parties.<\/p>\n

Dallin Earl is an Entertainment Highlight Contributor for the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law and a current first year student at Harvard Law School (Class of 2020).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disney doesn\u2019t want you to hire \u201cBig Hairy Guy,\u201d a Chewbacca lookalike, for your child\u2019s next birthday party. Disney and its corporate affiliates have filed a lawsuit against Characters For Hire, LLC (“CFH”) for copyright and trademark infringement. Though CFH changes the names of many of its characters, such as Darth Vader to \u201cDark Lord,\u201d 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