Big Bad Disney Is Suing A Little Star Wars-Themed Car Wash In Chile For Plagiarizing Their Franchise
Newsweek- Disney is facing backlash online for suing a Star Wars-themed car wash in Chile, accusing the small business of plagiarizing the franchise. Owned by Matias Jara, "Star Wash" is located on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile's capital city. Along with a sign using the classic Star Wars font and themed decor, workers dress as beloved characters including Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, Cassian Andor and Stormtroopers. Jara even hired a Pedro Pascal impersonator in December, who wore a replica of the actor's beskar armor suit in The Mandalorian.
Lucasfilm filed the lawsuit after Jara attempted to register Star Wash with the Chilean patent authority, INAPI. Star Wars creator George Lucas founded the production company in 1971. He released the original trilogy, three prequel movies, and the Clone Wars animated series under the Lucasfilm banner. Disney bought the studio in 2012 for $4.05 billion and has continued to expand upon the universe with an ever-growing list of films, TV shows, games and merchandise.
As someone that was raised along with two siblings thanks to a small business, every fiber of my being (which is a whooooooooole lot of fibers) wants to call out Disney for acting like a hardo here. I get that big businesses also have to protect themselves from the wretched hive of scum and villainy that will try to make a buck of their intellectual property. But I don't think it's necessary to pick off every single person that dares use your IP like Luke used to bullseye womp rats in his T-16 back in Tatooine.
Obligatory Family Guy video:
However there is also a part of me that enjoys seeing Disney playing the role of the Evil Empire in plain sight. We all know The Mouse isn't as wholesome and charming as that squeaky ass bitch would have you think. No corporation, let alone one the size of Disney, didn't do some crack some eggs in order to make an omelette for all the shareholders in their monolithic organization to consume. Hell, even Disney's sports division calls itself The Worldwide Leader (which is as daunting a title as a Star Destroyer) that famously tried to take down a couple of rebels here at Barstool back in the day.
So finding out a giant company like Disney unleashed its lawyers to make a mom and pop car wash in fucking CHILE disappear like Alderaan doesn't surprise me in the least.
The funny thing is, the more Disney tightens their grip, the more customers will slip through their fingers. Okay, that's probably not true because decades of marketing and business will have people going to Disney parks and consuming Disney content forever no matter how much the prices go up or quality goes down. But pulling more shit like this will definitely have people feeling like maybe the monstrous corporation that makes people take out a second mortgage just to visit their parks isn't as pure as the Disney their parents grew up with.
The actual funny thing is the defense that car wash owner Matias Jara (which would be an A++++ Star Wars name btw) is using in all this:
Lucasfilm alleges that the name "Star Wash" is too similar to the space saga, potentially leading customers to associate the car wash with the Star Wars brand.
"They say our name 'Star Wash' leads to confusion as someone can come with the intention to buy a movie, a helmet, or a figure they sell," Jara told Reuters. "This is not the case. We have a car wash named 'Star Wash,' as it's a stellar wash.
Ahhhhh yes, the Star Wash refers to the stellar wash you will receive and not the gaggle of Star Wars characters in the stellar wash that has Darth Vader hosing down your car, Boba Fett shining your tires, and a Pedro Pascal impersonator (since the real Pedro Pascal is busy headlining a show or movie for every major Hollywood franchise) vacuuming up all the crumbs your shitty kids got on the ground with Baby Yo in his hands.
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Now that I think about it, I guarantee you Disney sending this lawsuit is the best thing to ever happen to this car wash's business since they have gone viral and are now a Must Visit for millions of Star Wars nerds in the galaxy. Isn't it crazy how reality mirrors fiction sometimes?
Now we just need a media company with some reach to really blow this business up (in a good way) with a video of some Star Wars fans getting their cars washed by some Star Wars characters talking in Spanish, which was awesome to listen to in those IG reels. Yup, I think it's time for the Disney Boys to get their passports ready…