Disney Suing Star Wars Themed Car Wash
Lucasfilm has initiated legal action against a themed car wash located on the outskirts of Santiago, the capital of Chile. Attorneys representing the car wash, known as Star Wash, revealed that the lawsuit alleges plagiarism of the iconic “Star Wars” franchise, a multibillion-dollar galactic saga in film and television.
Star Wash has garnered attention through social media by sharing videos featuring attendants dressed as beloved “Star Wars” characters such as Chewbacca, Stormtroopers, bounty hunter Boba Fett, and hero Cassian Andor. The videos depict these characters using hosepipes in lieu of blasters, and even showcase Darth Vader seemingly employing The Force to summon cleaning cloths.
The legal firm representing Star Wash disclosed that Matias Jara, the owner, was in the process of registering his brand with the Chilean patent authority, INAPI, when he received the lawsuit from Lucasfilm, the franchise’s original creator.
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Jara’s lawyers said the U.S. movie production firm wanted to block the registration of the name and had argued that the brand could be confused as being affiliated with them. It has not raised issues with the attendants, they said.
Lucasfilm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jara is contesting the suit, according to his lawyers, who argue that the name is sufficiently different from the movie franchise to avoid confusion and that the production company’s copyright, while covering products such as toys, furniture and non-alcoholic drinks, does not extend to cleaning cars.
“Of course this lawsuit is affecting us. We’re a small business and we’re spending on things we hadn’t budgeted for,” Jara said in an interview. Jara added “We don’t make movies or sell their products or anything like that.” Jara did note that they are a “stellar” car wash.
Should Disney be going after this small business in a country far far away? Let us know your thoughts on the lawsuit in a comment.
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