Walk-Thru Event (for drive-thru information & tickets, click here) Get ready for an adventure over the mountains, through the jungle, and under the sea to learn about decades of conservation with a dazzling display. The Cleveland zoo is suing the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for trademark infringement, claiming the Pittsburgh zoo’s upcoming Asian Lantern Festival is a ripoff of the Cleveland zoo’s annual event in place since 2018.Ĭleveland Metroparks alleged in the federal lawsuit filed last week that the zoo has held an annual light show called the Asian Lantern Festival for the past three years, and attendees include those from the Western Pennsylvania and Youngstown regions.The brand new 2023 Asian Lantern Festival: World of Wonders at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium honors our 125th anniversary with a global passport. The lawsuit alleges that staff from the Pittsburgh zoo visited the lantern festival in Cleveland in 2020 to “determine whether Pittsburgh Zoo would like to host a light show of its own.” Pittsburgh zoo officials contracted with the same company, Tianyu Arts and Culture, to present a light show in Pittsburgh. The show is currently scheduled for certain days from Aug. 30, according to the Pittsburgh zoo’s website. It is billed as the Asian Lantern Festival and referred to as “a bold new adventure” for the zoo. “At no time,” according to the lawsuit, “did Cleveland Metroparks authorize Pittsburgh zoo to use the Asian Lantern Festival mark.” It further claims that Pittsburgh began advertising its light show at the same time tickets for the Cleveland show opened ticket sales. The lawsuit claims the Pittsburgh zoo’s advertisements are using photos from the Cleveland zoo’s lantern festival.Ĭleveland zoo officials claim in the lawsuit they sent an email to Pittsburgh zoo management June 25, which they said went unanswered. That was followed up with a June 29 cease-and-desist letter, according to the lawsuit. In its own filing, Pittsburgh zoo representatives called the lawsuit an “audacious attempt to claim intellectual property rights,” noting the phrase Asian Lantern Festival has been used to describe events and traditions that have existed “for over two millennia.” The lawsuit alleges Pittsburgh’s use of the name Asian Lantern Festival is “likely to cause confusion, cause mistake and deceive consumers as to the source, origin, affiliation, connection or association of the Pittsburgh zoo’s light show.” Pittsburgh zoo officials, according to the filings, told their counterparts in Cleveland they would consider renaming the event in the future but made no promises. The filing points to light shows with the phrase “Asian Lantern Festival” at zoos across the country: Louisville Zoo, the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and the Blank Park Zoo in Iowa. Petersburg predated the Cleveland zoo event by a year.Īttorneys for the Pittsburgh zoo also claim the Cleveland zoo filed its federal trademark application - for “Asian Lantern Festival Cleveland Metroparks Zoo” - three days before filing the lawsuit on July 2. Cleveland attorneys note in the lawsuit they became aware of Pittsburgh’s event June 22. The lawsuit claims the Cleveland Metropark Zoo will suffer losses because of Pittsburgh’s marketing of the event, noting that people from more than 100 Pennsylvania cities bought tickets to the Cleveland event. It claims about 8% of last year’s attendees live in Western Pennsylvania and Youngstown. The Cleveland zoo is seeking payment of damages, attorneys fees, and other court costs – as well as for the Pittsburgh zoo to cease using the name and stop promotion of the event. In the meantime, Cleveland attorneys are also seeking a temporary restraining order to keep the Pittsburgh zoo from using the festival name while the case works its way through the courts.A federal judge in Ohio has denied the Cleveland zoo’s request for a temporary restraining order against the Pittsburgh zoo over alleged trademark infringement related to the Pittsburgh zoo’s upcoming Asian Lantern Festival. District Judge James Gwin denied the motion late last week, something attorneys for Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium called good news. “This ruling is certainly encouraging and a positive step for the Pittsburgh zoo, which is now able to continue with all marketing and advertising efforts for its upcoming Asian Lantern Festival without encumbrance,” said Ray Middleman, of the law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott.
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