Two Inventors Say Disney Violated Their Patent to Create The Disney Genie Service
On December 2, 2022, two former Disney employees sued Walt Disney World Parks and Experiences, alleging that the company had stolen their technology to create the Disney Genie program on the My Disney Experience app.
Michael Eaton and William Redmann developed a computer program in the early 2000s that tailored a theme park experience to guests’ needs. After answering questions about their preferences, the program created a personalized itinerary. Sound familiar?
“Deciding what to do first, where to go next, and how to plan a busy day in a crowded venue could be a very challenging task,” their lawsuit said (via Florida Politics).
Walt Disney Company
“Computerized itinerary generator tools existed at the time, but they were generally crude and lacked the functionality to be particularly useful for visitors.”
The Inventors Were Former Disney Employees
When they were developing their prototype application, Eaton and Redmann used a Palm device (remember those?!). The inventors believed their program would help guests plan their vacation and allow theme park operators to spread crowds across the park.
Noteably, Eaton and Redmann were also former Disney employees when they developed their new program. Redmann joined Disney as a show designer at EPCOT Center in 1982 before moving to Walt Disney Imagineering in research and development from 1988 to 1993.
Photo: Florida Politics
Later, he would serve as Imagineering’s director of technology from 1995 through 2000.
Eaton, meanwhile, worked in travel marketing and sales for Disneyland and Walt Disney World from 1990 through 1997.
The Duo Was Awarded a Patent in 2007
Eaton and Redmann initially filed for a patent on their program in 2001, which was eventually issued in 2007.
Photo: Disney
According to their lawsuit, Redman says he spoke with the Director of Walt Disney World’s New Technology Group and later corresponded with Disney via email.
In 2008, Disney sought a patent for similar technology. That petition was denied due to Eaton and Redmann’s patent.
Disney Genie+
Despite Disney’s failure to secure a patent for the technology, Walt Disney World eventually launched the Disney Genie, a feature that utilizes the same theme park planning capabilities pioneered by Eaton and Redmann.
Disney’s Defense
Under the LLC Agile Journeys, Eaton and Redmann filed suit in 2022. After their initial motions to have the case thrown out were unsuccessful, Disney countersued the duo last year.
In their defense, Disney argued that the plaintiffs intentionally omitted the work of a Disney employee who helped develop the theme park app. They also argued that personalized itineraries were not novel in the early 2000s.
Photo: Disney
Though it has not been disclosed how much Agile Journeys is suing for, millions of dollars could be at stake.
The next chapter in the lawsuit will unfold on January 14, when a trial begins in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board. So, stay tuned.
