intellectual property

London, Friday, 5 September 2025.
Recent reporting shows a clear rise in intellectual property enforcement reshaping theme park licensing and design — and retail and merch teams should take note. Last Wednesday’s industry coverage highlighted that rights holders are broadening claims around character licensing, immersive-IP use and patented ride systems, while operators and suppliers increasingly face inter partes reviews, trade-secret suits and cross-border enforcement. The most striking trend: patent assertion entities are now active in specialised ride‑tech disputes, forcing faster cleared design pipelines and higher transaction costs for cross‑licensing and technology transfers. Commercial consequences include renegotiated royalty frameworks, stricter due diligence on developers and manufacturers, and elevated IP valuation scrutiny during M&A and expansions. For retail professionals, that translates into tighter merchandise licensing timelines, more conservative product rollouts tied to attractions, and a growing need to embed IP risk checks into sourcing and capex schedules to avoid timeline and margin shocks.

Los Angeles, Friday, 29 August 2025.
Last Friday director Chris Columbus publicly questioned HBO’s new Harry Potter series after set photos showed Nick Frost’s Hagrid in what he called “the exact same costume” as the original films, asking “what’s the point?” For retail and attractions professionals this single observation crystallises a commercial risk: perceived recycling of legacy design can read as lazy replication rather than considered reinvention, eroding guest trust and creating brand confusion across licensing, merchandising and park experiences. Expect licensors and operators to reassess design investment, authenticity claims for immersive environments, phased retheming plans and communications strategies to protect long‑term equity. The controversy also signals potential segmentation of fandom—some guests will prize continuity, others will demand distinctiveness—so commercial teams should model perception risk, SKU overlap and messaging scenarios now to avoid downstream revenue erosion.