Enos v. The Walt Disney Company

District court grants Disney's motion for summary judgment, holding it did not infringe plaintiffs' copyright in blue-eyed ukulele-playing turtle character, but rather independently created its own musical turtle character, and that plaintiffs' unfair competition claim was barred by laches.

Plaintiffs John William Kaipo Enos and Johnson Entertainment LLC sued The Walt Disney Company and Disney Enterprises Inc., alleging copyright infringement and unfair competition under the Lanham Act. The dispute centered on Enos' character "Honu," a green sea turtle with blue eyes that was created for Enos' musical stage show for children titled Honu by the Sea. The show premiered in 2012 at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and told the story of "Kainoa, a Hawaiian surfer and beachboy, who finds a magical sea star that grants his wish to spend a day underwater." The character of Honu, which means "turtle" in Hawaiian, did not appear in the show but was later included as a drawing in