Disney is set to introduce its standalone Star+ streaming service in Latin America in August, however Starz has filed complaints in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina declaring Disney is infringing on its brand name identity and that the soon-to-launch service will only confuse consumers.
In an English language translation of the grievances seen by The Verge and formerly reported by The Wrap, Starz argues that Disneys “Star Plus” service– which will host material from Disney, FX, 20th Century Studios and National Geographic, as well as Star originals– sounds too phonetically similar to its own StarzPlay offering also offered in the areas where it submitted its complaints.
Disneys Star– a service offered in international markets and nested within Disney Plus– formally launched in December. Star+, on the other hand, is set to launch as a single service offering in Latin America on August 31st.
Starz claims Disneys “Star Plus” sounds too comparable to its own StarzPlay service
” Both business are currently direct competitors in the Mexican market, which causes an unfair competitors to materialize, particularly if it is thought about that we are speaking about the same services,” the problem submitted in Mexico states.
Grabbed comment, a spokesperson for Starz stated the company “had no option but to protect its rights and effort to avert any further customer confusion by filing trademark violation suits” in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina against Disney for its use of “Star” and various models of the service title.
Disney did not immediately react to a request for remark.
The business revealed in May that its Star+ service would officially present to consumers at the end of August. At the time, Diego Lerner, president of The Walt Disney Company Latin America, stated in a statement that the service would deliver “a never-before-seen customized experience.”
” The strength of the material, that will consist of all of ESPN, makes Star+ a unique and relevant offering with its own identity that will become an acknowledged digital service, independent from Disney Plus,” Lerner said. “Having said that, its arrival will represent a service that is complementary to Disney Plus and it will consolidate The Walt Disney Companys presence in Latin Americas streaming market.”