NEWS: Disney Sued By Evel Knievel Estate Over Duke Caboom

Duke Caboom is a character featured in Toy Story 4. He’s described as “Canada’s Greatest Daredevil,” but struggles to perform his own stunts throughout the film.

The popularity of the character garnered the attention of K&K Promotions, Inc., a brand that owns the intellection property rights of ’70s stuntman Evel Knievel. This week, they filed a lawsuit against Disney, for Duke Caboom’s alleged likeness to Knievel.

According to TMZ, K&K claims they own the rights to the late stuntman’s likeness, persona, and brand. They believe Disney didn’t get the proper permission to represent Knievel in their film.

They state that the resemblances are noticeable in Duke Caboom’s costumes, motorcycle, and the fact that the toy was made in the 70s. To K&K, Disney was treading the line of copyright laws and damaging effects on Knievel’s reputation.

In a recent press release from Business Wire, K&K is “seeking actual, compensatory, statutory and punitive damages, as well as profits from the film.” A day after the news broke, a Disney spokesperson issued a statement to Fox Business in response to the lawsuit.  The spokesperson stated, “the claims are without merit and we intend to defend against them vigorously in court.” 

We’ll continue to keep you updated on any further developments.

What do you think of the Disney lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

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