California Federal Court Dismisses Copyright and Trademark Lawsuit Against Disney Over Singing Turtle Character

In a recent legal update, a California federal judge has dismissed a copyright and trademark lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company. The suit was filed by an individual alleging that Disney unlawfully copied his singing turtle character. However, the court found that Disney had already developed its character, ‘Olu Mel, before the plaintiff’s turtle character was depicted playing a ukulele. For more details on this ruling, see Law360’s coverage.