Latest news with #Satéur
Canada News.Net
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Canada News.Net
Disney seeks to block allegedly fake Mickey Mouse merchandise
LOS ANGELES, California: The Walt Disney Company has filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against Hong Kong-based Red Earth Group, accusing it of trademark infringement over a jewelry line marketed under the name "Satéur." The collection in question — the "Mickey 1928 Collection" — features rings, necklaces, and earrings that Disney claims are designed to mislead consumers into thinking they are official Disney merchandise. Disney argues that Red Earth is deliberately leveraging Mickey Mouse's iconic status and misleadingly using terms like "great for Disney enthusiasts" to trade on consumer recognition of Disney's brand. While the earliest version of Mickey Mouse from the 1928 short Steamboat Willie is now in the U.S. public domain, Disney retains trademark protection, which prevents unauthorized commercial use that implies brand association. The lawsuit highlights a key legal distinction: copyright expiration does not eliminate trademark protection. Disney asserts that Red Earth's use of the name "Mickey 1928" and similar imagery is a "ruse" to exploit public domain confusion while infringing on Disney's trademarks. The centerpiece of the disputed collection is a "Mickey 1928 Classique Ring" featuring a Steamboat Willie charm. Disney is seeking a court injunction to halt sales of the jewelry and monetary damages. Disney said in a statement: "We remain committed to protecting our trademark rights and preventing consumer confusion caused by unauthorized use of Mickey Mouse and our other iconic characters."
New York Post
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Disney sues Hong Kong jewelry company over alleged illegal Mickey Mouse products
The Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday sued a Hong Kong jewelry company it accuses of selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry. The international media and entertainment conglomerate filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles against the Red Earth Group, which sells jewelry online under the name Satéur. Disney says the marketing and branding of the rings, necklaces and earrings in 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. 5 The Walt Disney Co. is suing a Hong Kong jewelry company, accusing it of selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry. chrisdorney – 5 Disney says the marketing and branding of Satéur's 'Mickey 1928 Collection' violates its trademark rights and that the company is trying to mislead customers into thinking the pieces are official Disney merchandise. Satéur Satéur, the suit alleges, '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.' A message seeking comment from representatives of the Red Earth Group was not immediately answered. The lawsuit is indicative of Disney's dogged efforts to protect its intellectual property from unauthorized appropriation. Although the earliest version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain last year after Disney's copyright expired, the company still holds trademark rights to the character. 5 The lawsuit is part of Disney's efforts to protect its intellectual property from unauthorized appropriation. Satéur 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 jewelry as great for 'Disney enthusiasts.' Such tactics indicate Red Earth was 'intentionally trying to confuse consumers,' the lawsuit says. The impression created, it says, 'suggests, at a minimum, a partnership or collaboration with Disney.' The earliest depiction of Mickey Mouse, who first appeared publicly in the film short 'Steamboat Willie' in 1928, are now in the U.S. public domain. The widely publicized moment was considered a landmark in iconography going public. 5 Mickey Mouse first appeared publicly in the film short 'Steamboat Willie' in 1928. murdocksimages – The lawsuit alleges that Red Earth and Satéur are trying to use that status as a 'ruse' to suggest the jewelry is legal, by dubbing it the 'Mickey 1928 Collection' and saying it is being sold in tribute to the mouse's first appearance. The centerpiece of the collection, the suit says, is a piece of jewelry marketed as the 'Satéur Mickey 1928 Classique Ring,' which has a Steamboat Willie charm sitting on the band holding a synthetic stone. 5 According to the suit, the centerpiece of the collection is marketed as the 'Satéur Mickey 1928 Classique Ring,' with a Steamboat Willie charm on a band, holding a synthetic stone. Satéur But there is an essential difference between copyright — which protects works of art — and trademark — which protects a company's brand. Even if a character is in the public domain, it cannot be used on merchandise in a way that suggests it is from the company with the trademark, as Disney alleges Red Earth is doing. '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 lawsuit seeks an injunction against Red Earth selling the jewelry or trading on Disney's trademark in any other way, along with monetary damages to be determined later.
Euronews
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Why is Disney suing a Hong Kong jewellery company?
The Walt Disney Co. has said it is suing a Hong Kong jewellery company due to the illegal sale of Mickey Mouse ornaments. The international media and entertainment conglomerate filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday against the Red Earth Group, which sells jewellery online under the name Satéur. Disney says the marketing and branding of the rings, necklaces and earrings in 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. Disney's lawsuit claims that Red Earth is 'intentionally trying to confuse consumers' with the 'Mickey 1928 Collection' and the impression created "suggests, at a minimum, a partnership or collaboration with Disney.' Satéur, the suit alleges, '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 lawsuit seeks an injunction against Red Earth trading on Disney's trademark in any other way, along with monetary damages to be determined later. The lawsuit is indicative of Disney's continued efforts to protect its intellectual property from unauthorized appropriation. Although the earliest version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain last year, the company still holds trademark rights to the character. Even if a character is in the public domain, it cannot be used on merchandise in a way that suggests it is from the company with the trademark, as Disney alleges Red Earth is doing. Mickey Mouse first appeared publicly in the short film Steamboat Willie in 1928. That version of the most iconic character in American pop culture is now free from Disney's copyright and creators are able to make use of only the more rat-like, non-speaking boat captain from Steamboat Willie. 'This is it. This is Mickey Mouse. This is exciting because it's kind of symbolic,' said Jennifer Jenkins, a professor of law and director of Duke's Center for the Study of Public Domain, last year. 'It's sometimes derisively referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act,' Jenkins added. 'That's oversimplified because it wasn't just Disney that was pushing for term extension. It was a whole group of copyright holders whose works were set to go into the public domain soon, who benefited greatly from the 20 years of extra protection.' The widely publicized moment Mickey Mouse entered the public domain was considered a landmark in iconography going public. Other famous animal characters like A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and Tigger recently joined the public domain. This resulted in several horror films like the gouge-your-eyes-out-terrible Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey. Predictably, Mickey Mouse was also turned into a cheaply made slasher, Mickey Mouse's Trap. It was released last August, and it turned out to be just as dreadful as the bloodthirsty ursine's movie. As of this year, two other pop culture figures entered the public domain: Popeye the Sailor can punch without permission and intrepid kid reporter Tintin can investigate freely. The two classic comic characters who first appeared in 1929 are among the intellectual properties in the public domain in the US as of 1 January 2025 - meaning they too can be used and repurposed without permission or payment to copyright holders. Certain noteworthy books also became public, including William Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury,' Ernest Hemingway's 'A Farewell to Arms' and John Steinbeck's first novel, 'A Cup of Gold,' from 1929. There's also British novelist Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own,' an extended essay that became a landmark text in feminism from the modernist literary luminary. Elsewhere, early works by major figures from the early sound era of moviemaking made their debut in the public domain in 2025, including Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail – a film shown at last year's Festival Lumière in Lyon, France.
Mint
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Walt Disney sues Hong Kong company for selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewellery, ‘trying to confuse consumers'
International media and entertainment giant Walt Disney has sued Hong Kong-based jewellery company Red Earth Group for selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewellery, reported news agency Associated Press. 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.
The Hill
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Disney sues Hong Kong company it says is selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday sued a Hong Kong jewelry company it accuses of selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry. The international media and entertainment conglomerate filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles against the Red Earth Group, which sells jewelry online under the name Satéur. Disney says the marketing and branding of the rings, necklaces and earrings in 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, the suit alleges, '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.' A message seeking comment from representatives of the Red Earth Group was not immediately answered. The lawsuit is indicative of Disney's dogged efforts to protect its intellectual property from unauthorized appropriation. Although the earliest version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain last year after Disney's copyright expired, 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 jewelry as great for 'Disney enthusiasts.' Such tactics indicate Red Earth was 'intentionally trying to confuse consumers,' the lawsuit says. The impression created, it says, 'suggests, at a minimum, a partnership or collaboration with Disney.' The earliest depiction of Mickey Mouse, who first appeared publicly in the film short 'Steamboat Willie' in 1928, are now in the U.S. public domain. The widely publicized moment was considered a landmark in iconography going public. The lawsuit alleges that Red Earth and Satéur are trying to use that status as a 'ruse' to suggest the jewelry is legal, by dubbing it the 'Mickey 1928 Collection' and saying it is being sold in tribute to the mouse's first appearance. The centerpiece of the collection, the suit says, is a piece of jewelry marketed as the 'Satéur Mickey 1928 Classique Ring,' which has a Steamboat Willie charm sitting on the band holding a synthetic stone. But there is an essential difference between copyright — which protects works of art — and trademark — which protects a company's brand. Even if a character is in the public domain, it cannot be used on merchandise in a way that suggests it is from the company with the trademark, as Disney alleges Red Earth is doing. '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 lawsuit seeks an injunction against Red Earth selling the jewelry or trading on Disney's trademark in any other way, along with monetary damages to be determined later.
