(Motorsports news) It has come to light that Haas has filed a lawsuit in California, only days after it was reported that Steiner was suing Haas in North Carolina for failing to pay commissions he claims he is due.
Haas claims in lawsuit documents filed in the Western Division of the Central District of California that Steiner and his publisher Ten Speed Press broke the law when they published pictures that they felt violated trademark laws.
The Haas document states that in 2023, “Steiner authored, marketed, promoted, sold, distributed, and profited from a publication titled “Surviving to Drive” (the “Accused Product”), which unlawfully used and displayed the Haas Automation Trademarks and the Haas Automation Trade Dress for Steiner’s personal financial gain and illicit profit. This was done without the authorization or consent of Haas Automation.”
“Steiner’s use of the Haas Automation Trade Dress and Trademarks on the Accused Product is not authorized by Haas Automation.”
It claimed that after communicating its concerns to Steiner, it did not obtain a suitable response, which is why it decided to take legal action.
The filings stated that “Haas Automation gave Steiner a pre-lawsuit notice, but to date Steiner has not taken any action to cease or mitigate his infringing acts, necessitating the instant lawsuit.”
Steiner violates the exclusive intellectual property rights of Haas Automation by marketing and selling the Accused Product through a variety of channels, including but not limited to print and digital.
“Data on file shows that as of January 2024, the Accused Product has surpassed sales of at least 150,000 units and brought in at least $4,500,000 in revenue.”
