The Saga Continues: LucasFilm Countersued For “Sabacc” Ad Reference
The release of the next installment in the Star Wars universe, “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” is right around the corner, but the next episode in the continuing saga over the trademark in the name “Sabacc” recently dropped when mobile video game maker Ren Ventures countersued LucasFilm over its use of the name in marketing for the upcoming movie release. Never mind the fact that the name wouldn’t be worth anything unless LucasFilm created and used it first in its creative works.
What Is “Sabacc”?
According to Wookipedia:
Sabacc was a popular card game often played at high stakes, whose goal was to win the sabacc pot by collecting a hand with an absolute value closest to 23, but no higher. A sabacc deck comprised 76 cards (60 distributed in four suits plus 16 special cards), all of which had a specific value.
The game has been referenced mostly in Star Wars-related novels; its only appearance on screen to date was in The Force Awakens, but it will figure prominently in the script of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Currently, it is appearing in movie-related marketing, particularly in a promotional partnership between Disney (the owner of LucasFilm) and the restaurant chain Denny’s.
Trademark Registration of Sabacc
The name “Sabacc” is one of few Star Wars-related names that LucasFilm did not register over the years, which left the door open for Ren Ventures to do just that in 2016 in connection with its mobile card game. LucasFilm did not catch wind of the registration until May 2017 when it filed for a cancellation.
The Sabacc Trademark Infringement Case
The current infringement case started in late 2017 with Disney alleging that “the mobile game is intended to, and does, copy and appropriate plaintiffs’ Sabacc game in order to capitalise on the goodwill of the Sabacc mark and the Star Wars franchise.” In its countersuit Ren Ventures claims that Disney’s movie promotions are infringing its registered mark, and requests removal of any mention of Sabacc from all marketing materials. The complaint says “[d]efendants’ unauthorized use of the term ‘Sabacc’ to refer to a playing-card game in a nationwide advertising campaign for an upcoming film is likely to cause consumer confusion as to the source and/or origin of Plaintiffs’ pre-existing playing-card game.” Ren Ventures also sued Denny’s, which is offering collectible trading cards based on the Sabacc game from the movie, and Collider, an media outlet that published the Denny’s TV ad first.
Photo of Han Solo’s ride, the Millennium Falcon, by Schuetze77, CC BY-SA 4.0 from Wikimedia Commons.
