It appears that Universal has changed the name of one of the major new rides in its upcoming Epic Universe theme park.
Universal Orlando's website now lists the Mack Rides racing coasters formerly known as Starfall Racers as Stardust Racers. The change comes after a lawsuit was filed in US federal court earlier this month over the name.
In 2023, Universal filed a trademark application for "Starfall Racers," however an opposition was filed to that application. Earlier this month, Starfall Education Foundation filed a lawsuit against Universal City Studios in US District Court for the District of Colorado over the roller coaster's name.
Last month, Universal filed another trademark application, this time for "Stardust Racers." And now Universal has made the name change on its website, suggesting that it is abandoning the disputed name.
Whatever the name, this was the biggest attraction in Epic Universe not associated with any existing Universal-owned or licensed intellectual property, save for a "Back to the Future" Easter-egg reference on the trains - where photographers have spotted "OUTATIME" license plates. So the name was not something that Universal had locked up legally well in advance of the park's development.
The now-renamed Stardust Racers will be a Mack Rides racing coaster with a top speed of 62 mph and a maximum height of 133 feet. The theme is two comets racing along a 1.8-mile track. For more on the upcoming theme park, which will open next year, please visit our Visitors Guide to Universal Epic Universe.
To keep up to date with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
Either way, I’m still pretty pumped to ride this coaster once they finally open Epic Galaxy ;)
How will I ever find this coaster - With a new name.
I will be lost for hours looking for Starfall Racers...
If some clown like Elon owned Epic - it would be named X... hahahaahahah
Is Starfall Education a prominent household name? Was anyone even aware of Starfall Education before this dispute? If Starfall Racers is an amusement ride targeted toward children, maybe there's a sliver of overlap. But one trademark exists in the edutainment space and the other in the theme park industry. Would Starfall Racers ever cause likely confusion with Starfall Entertainment?
Heck, if I mention United, I could be referring to:
- An airline
- A bank
- A taxi company
- A theme park company (!)
- A grocery store chain
- Soccer/Football teams
Patent & Trademark trolls really grind my gears...
I suspect that Universal could have won this case, legally. But the court of public opinion often matters more to companies like Universal than the court of law.
Starfall Education has filed multiple trademarks for various uses of "Starfall," but none that include attractions, which is the relevant use here. And Starfall has not trademarked "Starfall Racers" in any category, as far as I could tell. Given MyHandsDontScan's example, that would allow Universal to file a successful application for a theme park attraction using the Starfall Racers name, which is why I suspect Comcast legal gave Universal Creative the go-ahead.
But you don't have to be successful in filing an opposition to a trademark application to take a shot and file it anyway. Starfall Education did, and followed that with a lawsuit in which it accuses Universal of promoting entertainment that depicts violence, which Starfall Education claims is damaging to its brand and trademark in providing non-violent education training and programs.
I can see why Universal would want no part of a lawsuit making those claims, even if - I believe - they are legally irrelevant to the question at hand and would not result in a ruling against Universal. Better to stay out of the court of public opinion by staying out of a court of law and abandoning the trademark application to use the perfectly acceptable alternative of "Stardust Racers" instead.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Whoops!!
You'd think a company like Comcast/Universal would perform their due diligence and clear all copyrights BEFORE publicly announcing a new, landmark attraction like this. I could see a minor oversight like this for a gift shop or a dining location, but there shouldn't be any doubt regarding the name for what is one of the park's signature attractions. My guess is that someone gave the green light for "Starfall Racers" despite a potential conflict, assuming they would be given a pass, but in reality, they should have either held the name for this attraction back or utilized the backup name when it was announced.
We've seen this song and dance before, but usually at smaller, regional parks. By now, parks and major corporations should know the drill to avoid this type of incident. Ultimately, I doubt most people will even notice when the park opens a year from now, but I'm guessing this has initiated a full check of all remaining copyrights and trademarks for the entire Epic Universe lineup to make sure this doesn't happen again.