Recently, Walt Disney Co., Sanrio, Co., Ltd. and DC Comics filed suit in federal district court against Party Animals LLC (a business offering costumes and party entertainment) alleging that Party Animals infringed on various trademarks and copyrights owned by the Plaintiffs by renting character costumes produced without permission in violation of the Plaintiffs’ intellectual property rights. Some of the alleged infringing costumes named by the suit include Winnie the Pooh, Batman, Superman, and Hello Kitty.
Party Animals’s website plainly states that it has no licenses in the costumes it produces, but nonetheless asserts that it manufactures only look-alikes, not copyright infringing knock-offs.
In addition to seeking monetary damages, Plaintiffs are seeking an injunction barring Party Animals LLC from continuing its alleged copyright/trademark infringing behavior.