Image Courtesy: The Verge
Disney’s independent Star+ streaming service is due to start in Latin America in August, but Starz has filed objections in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, arguing that Disney is infringing on its brand identification and that the soon-to-be service would only confuse consumers.
Starz claims that Disney’s “Star Plus” service — which will host content from Disney, FX, 20th Century Studios, and National Geographic, as well as Star originals — sounds too phonetically similar to its own StarzPlay offering, which is also available in the regions where it filed its complaints, according to an English translation of the complaints seen by The Verge and previously reported by The Wrap.
Starz, a premium cable channel and streaming service, has been in business since the mid-1990s and has a presence in 58 countries.StarzPlay, its own service, has been offered throughout Latin America since 2019. Disney’s Star, a service available in worldwide countries and nested within Disney Plus, debuted in December. Meanwhile, on August 31st, Star+ will premiere as a single service offering across Latin America.
When contacted for comment, a Starz spokesperson stated that the company “had no choice but to defend its rights and attempt to prevent any further customer confusion by filing trademark infringement suits” against Disney in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina for its use of the term “Star” and various iterations of the service title.
A request for comment from Disney was not immediately returned. Moreover, in May, the firm stated that its Star+ service will be available to users by the end of August. Diego Lerner, president of The Walt Disney Company Latin America, stated at the time that the service will provide a “never-before-seen personalized experience.”
