Disney Settles Multiple Lawsuits With Rearden Over Motion-Capture Technology
Disney has settled multiple pending lawsuits with Rearden LLC after the latter accused the studio of using its motion capture technology without a license.
The settlement ends a series of court battles and concludes a strange story that encompassed technology theft, shell corporations, and the Avengers.
Photo: Animation Magazine
How We Got Here
According to Rearden, the technology was initially stolen by former employee Greg LaSalle, who then used the technology at the VFX house Digital Domain.
Eventually, LaSalle sold a license for the MOVA Contour Reality Capture to DD3, which in turn used the technology on Disney films, including Guardians of the Galaxy, multiple Avengers films, and Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
Photo: Disney
After a lengthy legal battle, Judge Jon Tigar ruled that Digital Domain had never properly owned the rights to MOVA as LaSalle had acted fraudulently.
Rearden Then Sued Disney
The ruling allowed Rearden to sue various studios for using the technology — including Disney.
Walt Disney Company
Rearden did just that, suing Disney in federal court and arguing that the success of their live-action Beauty and the Beast was due, in large part, to the use of the infringed upon MOVA technology.
The company also argued that it had worked directly with Disney on other films that used MOVA, including Tron: Legacy and The Avengers, and thus, the company should have known that Digital Domain did not own the rights to the technology.
Photo: Animation magazine
Disney Lost the First Trial
Last December, a jury sided with Rearden and ruled that Disney owed the tech company nearly $600,000. Interestingly, that ruling only applied to Disney’s use of MOVA on Beauty and the Beast. Rearden still had the ability to sue the studio over other unauthorized uses.
According to Reuters, however, Disney and Rearden have now reached a settlement that encompasses all of the MOVA-related suits except the already-litigated Beauty and the Beast suit.
Photo: Disney
While Rearden won damages over Disney’s use of MOVA, it did not get the large percentage of the film’s gross that it had been hoping for. Disney, meanwhile, was found liable for using the pilfered technology. With little left to argue about, the two sides have now reached an all-encompassing agreement.
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