Magnolia Pictures Sues Discovery Over New ‘Magnolia’ Network (1)

Independent-film distributor Magnolia Pictures LLC sued Discovery Inc. and house flippers Chip and Joanna Gaines in Dallas federal court over their planned Magnolia Network.

Discovery’s planned “Magnolia” network is likely to cause confusion with Magnolia Pictures and infringe its trademarks, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Magnolia Pictures is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner’s 2929 Entertainment LP known for distributing foreign and independent films including the documentaries “Man on Wire,” “Blackfish,” and “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” It also runs a video-on-demand service called Magnolia Selects.

According ...