Credit: Inside The MagicA lawsuit against Disney and its now-defunct Genie+ service moves forward.
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A pair of former Disney employees are suing the company for allegedly stealing software they created to help guests plan their day at the parks. If this sounds similar to Disney’s own park-planning service, Disney Genie, it is, with the former employees claiming Disney stole their patented technology for use in its Genie+ system.
According to Florida Politics, Agile Journey’s federal patent infringement lawsuit has survived Disney’s attempts to squash it, with a federal judge denying Disney’s motion to dismiss the suit back in 2023.
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2022, flying somewhat under the radar of bigger, juicier stories regarding The Walt Disney Company, like the replacement of Bob Chapek in late 2022, closures of iconic theme park rides at its parks, and several other lawsuits filed against the company.
“Disney has infringed and continues to infringe (literally and/or under the doctrine of equivalents), directly, indirectly, and/or through subsidiaries, agents, representatives or intermediaries, one or more claims of the [patent] by making, using, testing, supplying, causing to be supplied, selling and/or offering for sale in the United States the Disney Genie system, including the Disney Genie App,” alleged the lawsuit.
Now, Agile Journey is looking ahead to a January 14 trial date before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
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A patent for the technology was reportedly filed in 2002, dubbed “Method and Apparatus for Providing Visitors with a Personalized Itinerary and Managed Access to Attractions.” This technology was envisioned as a potential way to help guests plan their day at the theme parks.
The lawsuit alleges Disney attempted to patent its own system previously, claiming that the applications were “rejected.”
Disney Genie+ launched in October of 2021, forever changing the way guests interact with the company’s theme parks. Genie+ replaced Disney’s FastPass+ system, which granted guests at least three “line skip” passes per day. Guests could make reservations for select times during the day, which in turn gave them a return window for certain rides and attractions.
Disney Genie+ worked in a similar fashion, though it came at a much higher cost. FastPass+ was free to guests, whereas Genie+’s price fluctuated based on the time of year and overall crowd levels of the park. Guests could expect to pay anywhere between $16 and $30 to use Genie+. While Genie+ remained popular, the service also proved quite controversial, with many guests feeling put off by its price.
In the original December 2022 federal lawsuit, Michael Eaton and William Redmann said they developed the revolutionary idea in the early 2000s, which they claim ended up being used for Disney Genie+.
“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. “Computerized itinerary generator tools existed at the time, but they were generally crude and lacked the functionality to be particularly useful for visitors.”
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Disney sought to file its own patent in 2008 but failed to do so because an earlier one had already been filed. This did not stop Disney from going full steam ahead with Genie+, which was revealed by former CEO Bob Chapek in 2019.
“Disney Genie has capabilities that can help make the most out of your visit, whether you’re a first-time guest or a seasoned pro. It will put customized itineraries geared towards your interests at your fingertips, cutting down on the need to plan and research,” Chapek told fans at that year’s D23 event. “And, best of all, it’s all flexible. If you change your wish for any reason during the day, Disney Genie will help re-optimize your day.”
The pair are suing Disney for an undisclosed amount of money for royalties, damages, and lawsuit costs. “Disney has knowingly or with reckless disregard willfully infringed the ’983 Patent,” states the lawsuit.
Disney’s Genie+ service ended in 2024 and was replaced by a newer, somewhat easier-to-use system called Lightning Lane. Lightning Lane entries have been offered since 2021 but are now the primary way guests pay to skip the lines at Disney’s theme parks.
Guests can choose between Lightning Lane Single Pass or Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which work exactly as they sound, letting users book a single-use line skip pass or a multi-use line pass.
Disney introduced a third way to skip the lines at its theme parks earlier this year, Premier Pass, which comes with quite a “premium” price. For up to $450 per person per day, guests can purchase Premier Pass, which grants them guaranteed access to every available ride and attraction at a given park.
What are your thoughts about Disney Genie+? Have you used Premier Pass?