Walt Disney sues Hong Kong company for selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewellery, ‘trying to confuse consumers'
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Disney alleged that the marketing and branding of the rings, necklaces and earrings in Red Earth Group brand Satéur's 'Mickey 1928 Collection' violate its trademark rights and that the Hong Kong company is deliberately trying to fool customers into thinking the pieces are official Disney merchandise.
Satéur 'intends to present Mickey Mouse as its own brand identifier for its jewelry merchandise and seeks to trade on the recognizability of the Mickey Mouse trademarks and consumers' affinity for Disney and its iconic ambassador Mickey Mouse,' the suit alleged.
Disney's legal team has reportedly accused Red Earth Group of "trying to confuse consumers" by using Mickey Mouse imagery in a way that signals a collaboration or licensing arrangement with Disney.
It is noteworthy that the earliest version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain last year after Disney's copyright expired, though the company still holds trademark rights to the character.
Lawyers for Disney argue in the suit that Red Earth's online marketing efforts 'extensively trade on the Mickey Mouse trademarks and the Disney brand' with language that includes describing the jewellery as great for 'Disney enthusiasts'.
The earliest depiction of Mickey Mouse, who first appeared publicly in the film short 'Steamboat Willie' in 1928, are now in the US public domain. The widely publicised moment was considered a landmark in iconography going public, the AP report said.
The lawsuit further alleged that Red Earth and Satéur are trying to use that status as a 'ruse' to suggest the Mickey Mouse jewellery is legal, by dubbing it the 'Mickey 1928 Collection'.
'Disney remains committed to guarding against unlawful trademark infringement and protecting consumers from confusion caused by unauthorized uses of Mickey Mouse and our other iconic characters,' Disney said in a statement Wednesday.
The US company is seeking an injunction against Red Earth selling the jewellery or trading on Disney's trademark in any other way.
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