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6 months ago
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Former Haas F1 team principal, Guenther Steiner, is being sued by his ex-employer for alleged trademark infringement.
The team's title sponsor, Haas Automation, filed a lawsuit against Steiner, along with the publisher of his 2023 book, Ten Speed Press, earlier this month.
Documents obtained by Mail Sport reveal the company, which is owned by Gene Haas, lodged a complaint in the Central District of California court on May 3, just a few days after Steiner filed his own lawsuit against Haas Formula, LLC over alleged unpaid commissions and unauthorized use of his likeness.
Haas Automation 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," 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 filed a lawsuit against Guenther Steiner in a California court this month
The company is also suing Ten Speed Press over the publication of his 2023 book
Elsewhere in the filing, the company claimed to have contacted Steiner before filing the suit, but the fan-favorite motorsport personality 'has taken no action to cease or mitigate his infringing acts, necessitating the instant lawsuit.'
Haas Automation's lawyers estimate that Steiner's book, Surviving to Drive, has raked in at least $4.5m in revenue from the sale of more than 150,000 copies.
The company also alleges that Ten Speed Press never sought or obtained permission to use 'any of the Haas Automation Trademarks or the Haas Automation Trade Dress.'
Multiple pages of the lawsuit are dedicated to highlighting imagery within the book that features the Haas logo, including the front and back covers.
The company is seeking damages and asked the court for a trial by jury.
'Surviving to Drive' features several images of Steiner throughout his decade-long Haas tenure
The former F1 team boss filed a lawsuit of his own just a few days before Haas sued him
He is suing over alleged unpaid commissions and unauthorized use of his likeness
The lawsuit was filed a few days after news emerged that Steiner was taking the company to court in North Carolina.
He claims that Haas not only owes him commissions, but has continued to sell merchandise featuring his likeness without proper compensation despite parting ways with the team during the offseason.
The Drive to Survive breakout star served as Haas' team principal from 2014, until the two parties mutually decided not to renew his contract at the beginning of the year.
In the months since, he has continued to be a visible figure in the paddock, serving as a Miami Grand Prix ambassador and working as a broadcaster for German channel RTL and Australia’s Network 10.
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