The Real Reason Disney Is Being Sued Over A Star Wars Ride

If you're a "Star Wars" fan, you've probably heard about the insanely popular Disney World attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Since the theme park ride opened at Disney World in 2019, park visitors have discusses how to score the notoriously hard to get boarding group – or entry into the ride — and the long wait times. Given just how incredibly immersive the attraction is, it's no wonder "Star Wars" fans and the park's attendees are rushing to the queue to experience the thrill for themselves. 

Using multiple different ride systems, Rise of the Resistance places participants right in the action of a Resistance mission on board a First Order Star Destroyer. Throughout the mission, you're bound to come across hoards of stormtroopers, droids, and even key characters from the "Star Wars" films like Kylo Ren, Rey, and Finn, whose actors reprise their roles for the ride (via The Hollywood Reporter). The attraction's use of animatronics, special effects, and motion simulators truly gives guests a "Star Wars" experience they've never had before.

While the Disney ride was praised in the company's 2020 quarterly earnings report for contributing to a 2% increase in attendance, it's making headlines again, but albeit in a not-so-positive light (via Orange County Register). The very technology that makes Rise of the Resistance so great may not have been Disney's in the first place, according to a new lawsuit.

While it seems that Disney has created state-of-the-art technology to give riders a unique experience in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, it looks like that technology might've actually been invented by the New York-based company, Raven Sun Creative. The company is now suing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for patent infringement over the technology used in the "Star Wars" attraction, according to Florida Politics.

In the lawsuit, Raven Sun Creative alleges that they own the patent for the technology that pairs a "vertical-moving rider trolley with videos on a screen." This gives riders the sensation of actually moving along with the depicted action, resulting in a more authentic ride. Raven Sun Creative accuses Disney of stealing their patented technology specifically for the scene in the Rise of the Resistance attraction in which riders experience "jettisoning out of an escape pod during the ride's controlled drop finale," as Florida Politics' report stated. According to Raven Sun Creative, the company proposed its specific technology to Disney all the way back in 2014, with no real response, leading to the claim that the information was then stolen and used in the attraction. Raven Sun Creative also claims that it reached out again to Disney in 2020, informing the company of the patent infringement. 

As of now, the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride is still very much up and running. In reports of the new lawsuit, Raven Sun Creative also states that Disney said that it does not intend to pay for copyright infringement for the patent, but there has been no public comment from Disney.