Take two major Hollywood studios, one of the world’s largest resort hotels, toss in a megabucks tourist attraction and what have you got? One hell of a lawsuit.
Universal Studios has sued Paramount Parks (an amusement company owned by Paramount Pictures’ parent, Viacom) and the Las Vegas Hilton over “Star Trek: The Experience,” an interactive adventure at the hotel. But unlike standard studio battles, the issue isn’t the standard copyright or trademark fight over the lucrative Star Trek franchise. That is clearly the property of Paramount, which has long controlled Trekkie film and television rights. Rather, Universal is taking an innovative approach — patent infringement — to try to grind the hotel’s tourist attraction to a halt.
