Disney, GE, others face patent suit

[crazy4wdw]

Disney, GE, others face patent suit

Phil Milford | Bloomberg News
Posted March 7, 2007

General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc., Walt Disney Co. and three other U.S. theme-park operators were accused of infringing patents on magnetic brakes used on roller coasters.

Safety Braking Corp., based in Newport Beach, Calif., claims the companies infringed patents won in 1994 and 2003. The defendants also include Busch Entertainment Corp., Six Flags Inc. and Cedar Fair LP.

Safety Braking holds exclusive licenses to the patents, one from Magnetar Technologies Corp., based in Seal Beach, California, and the other from G&T Conveyor Co., based in Tavares.

The three companies asked for a jury trial, an order to stop any infringement and royalties in the complaint, filed March 1 in federal court in Wilmington, Del.

Parks mentioned in the complaint include Universal Studios in Hollywood, Calif.; Walt Disney World in Orlando; Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va.; Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa.; Paramount King's Island in Mason, Ohio; and Six Flags Darien Lake, N.Y.

Wendy Goldberg, a Six Flags spokeswoman in New York, said the company won't comment on the lawsuit.

NBC Universal spokeswoman Cindy Gardner also declined to comment and Michelle Bergman of Burbank, Calif.-based Disney said company executives weren't available to comment.

Spokeswomen for Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Cedar Fair didn't return phone messages.

 

[daber]

Sounds frivilous. Why not go after the manufacturer of the roller coaster, rather than where the coaster was built?

 

[Another Voice]

Who has the deeper pockets and is more likely to buy off nuciance lawsuits - General Electric or Vekoma?