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.
