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Disney to pay Lionsgate for right to use Star brand in Brazil

(Logo courtesy Walt Disney Company; Graphic by The Desk)

The Walt Disney Company has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to Lionsgate for the right to use the “Star Plus” branding for a streaming service set to launch in Brazil.

The agreement followed a court order that prevented Disney from using the Star Plus brand name after a judge determined it was too similar to “StarzPlay,” a streaming service operated by Lionsgate.

In July, Lionsgate took Disney to court, arguing that the Star Plus brand name was too similar to Starz Play, to which it held a trademark.

“Obviously, a consumer, when referring to the streaming services offered by the parties, will not do so by saying that he watched a movie through StarzPlay or StarPlus, but simply through ‘Star,’” Judge Jorge Tosta wrote in his ruling last month.

On Monday, the Brazilian website Noticias da TV (TV News) reported the financial agreement between Disney and Lionsgate that settles the trademark issue.

With the matter now settled, Disney plans to go forward with its planned launch of Star Plus in Brazil on August 31.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys covers the business of broadcast and streaming TV, radio broadcasting, social media, technology and telecommunications. A journalist for over 15 years, Matthew previously worked at Thomson Reuters, KGO-TV in San Francisco, KTXL in Sacramento and McNaughton Newspapers. He received 9 California Journalism Awards between 2018 and 2020, and is a member of IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors).
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