Disney has been accused over the years of stealing from various sources for their productions. If you want to go down a rabbit hole, just do a Google search for “The Lion King” and “Kimba the White Lion,” and have yourself a time. But if there’s one legal avenue that’s more frustrating and confusing than copyrights, it’s patent laws.
That’s where Disney finds themselves in hot water again, this time due to allegations the Genie app is violating a patent held by Agile Journeys.
So the first question probably is “what is Genie?” In short, the Genie app helps you organize and plan your trip to one of the Disney parks. It helps you create an itinerary, book reservations, estimate wait times, update you on changes in the park, and can provide access to Lightning Lane services for shorter time waiting for rides. The main app is free, but Genie+ can be purchased to allow access to more Lightning Lanes and some audio and visual extras.
According to documents filed by attorneys for Agile Journeys, they patented the idea back in 2002. They filed it under the generic name of, “Method and Apparatus for Providing Visitors with a Personalized Itinerary and Managed Access to Attractions.” Which, in fairness, is pretty much exactly what the Genie app is. That being said, does the case have any actual legal weight to it?
Patent lawsuits can be difficult because of the presence of “patent trolls” who will just generate ideas, patent them, and then wait for something successful to come along that matches the patent. Then the lawsuits begin. This isn’t an unusual thing by any means, just look at the video game industry to see what patent lawsuits have done when it comes to everything from game mechanics to controllers. The iconic PlayStation DualShock controller? Yup, there was a patent lawsuit there. The Nintendo Wiimote? Yup, that’s a lawsuit.
Right now, the lawsuit against Disney is still in very early stages considering it was just filed on December 2n in the Middle District of Florida. These legal battles can be drawn out over extensive periods of time as evidenced in the above Wiimote lawsuit that was ongoing for years. The problem for Agile Journeys is that they’re going up against one of the biggest companies in the world with the money and lawyers to go along with it. Maybe the company is just hoping for a settlement, maybe they’ll actually pursue a cease and desist on the app; we’ll have to see as the case develops.
It is kind of funny though how this isn’t the first time that Genie has been part of a lawsuit. The late great Robin Williams had a falling out with Disney specifically because of the character and his use in marketing for “Aladdin.” There’s another rabbit hole to go down if you’re interested. Maybe Disney can wish their way out of this situation too.
