Lucasfilm, the production company famously behind the beloved Star Wars franchise, is suing a Chilean car was that operates under the name Star Wash.
- Reuters reports that Lucasfilm is suing Star Wash for plagiarizing the Star Wars franchise.
- The Star Wash website features several Star Wars images, their social media has featured photos and videos of employees dressed as Star Wars characters while washing cars and, as you can see above, their logo is very similar to that of the franchise.
- The law firm representing Star Wash owner Matias Jara says he was in the process of registering his brand with Chilean patent authority INAPI when he received a lawsuit from Lucasfilm.
- The lawyers say the suit was filed in order to block the registration of the name and argues that the brand could be confused as being affiliated with Lucasfilm.
- Lucasfilm has not commented at this time.
- Jara is reportedly contesting the suit, arguing that the name is sufficiently different from the movie franchise and that the production company's copyright – while covering products such as toys, furniture and non-alcoholic drinks – does not extend to cleaning cars.
- Jara says his daughter came up with the name for his business while on a trip to a Disney park in the United States.
What they’re saying:
- Star Wash owner Matias Jara: "Of course this lawsuit is affecting us. We're a small business and we're spending on things we hadn't budgeted for. We don't make movies or sell their products or anything like that.”