The Walt Disney Company is no stranger to lawsuits.

Having been on both sides of the courtroom, Disney has had to deal with countless legal battles in its day. Right now, the company is involved with a suit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his Reedy Creek board, and not too long ago there was a rift between Disney and Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson. But, if you had Toy Story 3 lawsuit on your bingo card, you’re in luck.

According to Reuters, the US Supreme Court ruled that Disney must deal with a lawsuit alleging the company violated trademark rights with the Lots-o’-Huggin’ bear from Toy Story 3 after all.

The justices overturned a lower court’s ruling protecting Disney from the lawsuit, which stated that the company had constitutional First Amendment protections for freedom of speech.

The lawsuit was filed by Diece-Lisa Industries, whose owner, Randice-Lisa Altschul, claims that Disney’s Lots-o’-Huggin’ bear closely resembles a stuffed animal she invented in 1994 that simulated hugs. Her company also owns intellectual property rights to a wearable “Lots of Hugs” bear.

Altschul and Diece-Lisa first filed the suit in 2012, but a Los Angeles-based US District Judge later ruled in Disney’s favor in 2021. In 2022, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the prior decision.

But, Diece-Lisa told the US Supreme Court that Disney should not have been protected under what is known as the Rogers test — which allows “artists to lawfully use trademarks without permission when the use has artistic relevance to their work and would not explicitly mislead consumers.” The Rogers test, Diece-Lisa says, was “radically expanded” beyond its original intent.

The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Jack Daniels whiskey after a suit was brought against a dog chew toy company for making toys modeled after the company’s distinct bottles.

As of now, Disney hasn’t commented on the recent ruling or made any announcements about future plans. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more updates on this developing situation, though, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

To learn more about Disney’s current legal battles and more, see our posts below:

• DeSantis’ Reedy Creek Board Takes Further Action To CHANGE Disney District
• Gov. DeSantis Signs Bill to VOID Disney’s Reedy Creek Agreements
• Clearing Up the CONFUSION Over the New Reedy Creek Board’s Attack Against Disney
• Disney Claims DeSantis Is Waging a “Relentless Campaign to Weaponize Government Power” — Here’s a Breakdown of the Drama

Click here to learn about the important warning Disney has issued about its battles with DeSantis

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The post US Supreme Court Rules ‘Toy Story 3’ Lawsuit Against Disney Can Move Forward first appeared on the disney food blog.