Cousteau’s Granddaughter Beats Some Claims in Family IP Dispute

Jacques Cousteau’s granddaughter Celine escaped claims in Connecticut federal court Thursday alleging that her films infringed the Cousteau Society Inc.'s trademarks.

But the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut allowed related trademark claims and French right-of-publicity claims to continue.

The Cousteau Society owns the late underwater explorer’s intellectual property rights. The society alleged that Celine Cousteau and her environmentally conscious production company infringed his trademarks and publicity rights by using Jacques Cousteau’s name, likeness, and marks to promote her documentaries “The Adventure Continues” and “Tribes on the Edge.”

The court rejected at the early dismissal stage Celine’s argument ...