Lucasfilm turns the hoses on Star Wars car washers in Chile
The Force slaps Star Wash with lawsuit over using Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Boba Fett for attendants’ costumes
27 December 2023 - 14:11
byNicolas Cortes
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
‘Star Wars’ character Darth Vader. Picture: GETTY IMAGES
Santiago — Walt Disney production company Lucasfilm is suing a themed car wash on the outskirts of the Chilean capital Santiago for plagiarising its multibillion-dollar galactic film and television saga Star Wars, lawyers for the car wash said.
Star Wash has shared videos on social media showing attendants dressed as Star Wars characters such as Chewbacca and a Stormtrooper wiping down bonnets, bounty hunter Boba Fett and hero Cassian Andor wielding hosepipes instead of blasters and Darth Vader appearing to use The Force to summon cleaning cloths.
The law firm representing the car wash said while owner Matias Jara was in the process of registering his brand with Chilean patent authority Inapi, he received a lawsuit from the franchise’s creator, Lucasfilm.
Jara’s lawyers said the US movie production firm wanted to block the registration of the name and argued the brand could be confused as being affiliated with it. The firm 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 the name is sufficiently different from the movie franchise to avoid confusion and the production company’s copyright, while covering products such as toys, furniture and nonalcoholic 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.
His young daughter had thought of the wordplay while on a family trip to a Disney theme park in the US that features a Star Wars area, he said.
“We don’t make movies or sell their products or anything like that,” Jara said, noting his business is, however, a “stellar” car wash.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Lucasfilm turns the hoses on Star Wars car washers in Chile
The Force slaps Star Wash with lawsuit over using Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Boba Fett for attendants’ costumes
Santiago — Walt Disney production company Lucasfilm is suing a themed car wash on the outskirts of the Chilean capital Santiago for plagiarising its multibillion-dollar galactic film and television saga Star Wars, lawyers for the car wash said.
Star Wash has shared videos on social media showing attendants dressed as Star Wars characters such as Chewbacca and a Stormtrooper wiping down bonnets, bounty hunter Boba Fett and hero Cassian Andor wielding hosepipes instead of blasters and Darth Vader appearing to use The Force to summon cleaning cloths.
The law firm representing the car wash said while owner Matias Jara was in the process of registering his brand with Chilean patent authority Inapi, he received a lawsuit from the franchise’s creator, Lucasfilm.
Jara’s lawyers said the US movie production firm wanted to block the registration of the name and argued the brand could be confused as being affiliated with it. The firm 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 the name is sufficiently different from the movie franchise to avoid confusion and the production company’s copyright, while covering products such as toys, furniture and nonalcoholic 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.
His young daughter had thought of the wordplay while on a family trip to a Disney theme park in the US that features a Star Wars area, he said.
“We don’t make movies or sell their products or anything like that,” Jara said, noting his business is, however, a “stellar” car wash.
Reuters
Limited edition Alpina B3 AWD launched to mark BMW’s 50 years in SA
Mercedes to launch human-like AI car assistant
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Unimog goes on auction
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.