‘Star Trek’ owners accused of stealing LV firm’s designs

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000 | 10:48 a.m.

A Las Vegas specialty glassware design company sued the operators of Star Trek: The Experience, a ride at the Las Vegas Hilton, alleging they stole the company's designs to make similar glassware for sale at the hotel-casino and on the Internet.

In a Clark County District Court suit, Society By Design Inc. sued Paramount Parks Experience Inc., Paramount Pictures Corp., Las Vegas Hilton Corp. and Creativeware Designs Inc., alleging Paramount Parks and the hotel-casino hired Creativeware to copy Society's designs after telling Society they weren't going to use its designs because "it was too costly to keep producing the glassware."

Society, which said the defendants allegedly "never inquired into buying ... or licensing the designs," alleged Paramount Pictures had allegedly used Society's glassware designs in a motion picture without its permission.

Society, which said it fulfilled all requirements of its contract with Paramount Parks since 1997, alleged Creativeware is falsely claiming ownership of Society's designs and that the defendants have sold several thousand units of the copied glassware at a substantial profit.

The defendants could not be reached for comment on the allegations.

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