The 84th annual Golden Globes Awards are months away, however the as soon as boozy and typically unhinged ceremony is entrance and middle proper now, a minimum of within the court docket dockets.
Two months after the remnants of the Hollywood International Press Affiliation sued Penske Media Company for its half in Dick Clark Productions‘ buy of the Golden Globes in 2023 with allegations of monopolization and fraudulent misrepresentation, the Penske-controlled Golden Globes goes after the Golden Globe Basis for trademark infringement and unfair competitors.
Now, if you’ll want to take a second and re-read that to separate the Globes from the Globe, we get that — it’s loads. It additionally may be a very good time to remind that PMC is the mum or dad firm of Deadline house owners PMX.
On this explicit level of authorized loggerheads, the Golden Globes says it wants a jury to step in and get the inspiration to cease attempting to muddy the waters round its model.
Placing emphasis on Golden Globe Basis board boss Raffi Boghosian, the Golden Globes’ four-claim criticism particulars: “Defendant has adopted and continued utilizing the GOLDEN GLOBE mark as a part of its company title and in reference to a broad array of actions, together with internet hosting occasions, conducting auctions, awarding grants, publishing supplies, and growing merchandise—actions which might be confusingly just like Plaintiff’s enterprise and have brought about and threaten to proceed to trigger shopper confusion—with out authorization from Plaintiff and over Plaintiff’s specific demand that Defendant stop such use.”
The Globes and its Sidley Austin attorneys are in search of an injunction to cease the GGF from utilizing mentioned mark and a trophy cupboard of unspecified damages to verify they don’t attempt to do it once more.
The submitting additionally alleges that “GGF’s actions and use of the GOLDEN GLOBE Mark have additionally expanded nicely past its acknowledged charitable mission” to now interact “in different industrial and quasi-commercial actions.” In truth, the September 30 submitting in federal court docket insists the non-plural basis rejected a 2025 cease-and-desist letter and reduce off licensing negotiations in July when Boghosian took over the GGF.
In addition to itemizing the HFPA scandals over time and the havoc and close to dying they dropped at the Golden Globe Awards’ profitable TV rights, the criticism says the “GGF’s unauthorized and increasing use of the GOLDEN GLOBE Mark is a part of a broader sample of coordination between GGF and the HFPA directed in opposition to Plaintiff and its associates.”
Then there’s that earlier lawsuit. As at all times, there’s additionally the cash.
“On data and perception, GGF and the HFPA have since entered into or are within the technique of finalizing a settlement of the HFPA’s claims in opposition to GGF that may end in GGF transferring charitable funds to the HFPA,” the Golden Globes submitting asserts.
“On data and perception, the HFPA’s inclusion of GGF as a defendant was a pretext designed to facilitate this switch, and the settlement is meant to redirect charitable funds to finance the HFPA’s lawsuit and different personal disputes in opposition to Plaintiff. This coordination between GGF and the HFPA additional demonstrates that GGF’s continued use of the GOLDEN GLOBE Mark will not be undertaken in good religion, however somewhat as a part of a concerted effort to commerce on the goodwill of Plaintiff’s mark whereas appearing in alignment with the HFPA in opposition to Plaintiff’s pursuits.”
Guess what? The GGF doesn’t see it that means, or a minimum of not with that characterization.
“The Golden Globe Basis was created in 2023 as a part of the identical deal that bought the Golden Globes to the corporate now suing us,” GGF spokesman Nate Miller mentioned in an announcement Tuesday. “That firm then promoted our title. The Golden Globes’ president welcomed company to our first grants dinner, the place we gave $5 million to 96 organizations, and publicly thanked Penske Media’s personal Robb Report for supporting the Basis.
They went on to say: “Now that firm, owned by Penske Media and billionaire Todd Boehly’s Eldridge, is suing a nonprofit that helps colleges and press freedom over the identical title it as soon as celebrated. This lawsuit is a clear try and stress the Basis, and we’ll reply it in court docket.”
As these lawsuits ramp up, so does awards season.
To that, the submission deadline for the 2027 Golden Globes is October 30. Nikki Glaser might be again for a 3rd time internet hosting the ceremony when it airs on January 10 reside on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
