Luxo Tells Disney "Lights Out"
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP
On Thursday, September 3, 2009, Norwegian lighting design company Luxo ASA filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging that Walt Disney Co.'s plans to market its own version of the iconic lamp used in Pixar Animation Studio's first short film would cause confusion in the market and cause Luxo unspecified damages (Case No. 09-cv-07689).
Luxo further alleges that Disney's proposed version of the Luxo lamp are made by an unknown manufacturer and are of inferior quality, thus putting Luxo's goodwill and reputation at risk. In addition to seeking damages, Luxo seeks attorneys' fees, and for Disney's lamps, packaging, and markings, as well as the materials used to make them, be destroyed.
The Luxo lamp has a dome-shaped head, round base and two posts joined at the center. The light is a design icon and the Luxo name, which Disney is using on its lamps, is protected by at least Trademark Reg. No. 1314484.
Luxo's lamp
Pixar's well-known introduction