The parent company of the Haas F1 team (Haas Automation) is suing former Team Principal Guenther Steiner for trade mark infringement in respect of his autobiography, "Surviving to Drive".
In the lawsuit filed in the Central District of California (Western Division) on 3 May, Haas claims that:
"In 2023, without permission or consent from Haas Automation, Steiner authored, marketed, promoted, sold, distributed, and profited from a publication titled "Surviving to Drive" (the "Accused Product"), which unlawfully used and displayed, and continues to use and display, the Haas Automation Trademarks and the Haas Automation Trade Dress for Steiner's personal financial gain and illicit profit. Haas Automation never consented to Steiner's use of the Haas Automation Trademarks or the Haas Automation Trade Dress on the Accused Product".
Haas claims to have given notice to Steiner of their concerns, but that no appropriate action was taken. They are now seeking damages and a trial by jury. One of the key IP issues here if the case against Steiner's autobiography goes to trial is likely to be whether any of the uses of the trade marks or images in question could be considered "fair use" under US practice.
This follows a lawsuit filed by Steiner in Mecklenburg, North Carolina a couple of days earlier on 1 May against the Haas F1 team claiming unpaid commissions and the unauthorised use of his name, image and likeness on merchandise following the termination of his contract as team principal. The amount Steiner alleges he is owed in both commissions and royalties is not clear at the moment.
The replacement of Steiner as Haas' F1 Team Principal attracted a lot of media attention particularly given his popularity on the Netflix show "Drive to Survive", and it seems that the break-up has turned ugly.
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