Legal action has been taken against James Parker’s casino group by InterContinental Hotels Group regarding the use of the name Crown Resorts. Based on statements from the hotel group, the Crown Resorts name too closely resembles the Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts name, which is one of the hotel brands. To avoid confusion among customers, InterContinental is asking Packer to change the name.
The action?also targets specific?Crown properties, like Crown Sydney?(Barangaroo), Crown Hotels, Crown Spa, Crown Perth, Crown Melbourne, and Crown Poker. VP Carolyn Dinberg states that the Crowne Plaza brand is very important and steps are being taken to protect the brands and avoid confusion with customers. She says that one of the main reasons people book at Crowne Plaza hotels is because the name is known and trusted.
Packer is prepared to fight the legal battle as he believes the names are trademarks that are vital to business. In 2013, Crown changed its name to Crown Resorts from Crown Limited so that the company would be known as a luxury hotel operator.
Trademark battles are not foreign to Packer and Crown Resorts has launched legal action against Crown Group Holdings, a Sydney-based property developer, stating that many believe the developer’s properties to be linked to Crown brand. Iwan Sunito founded Crown Group in association with?Paul Sathio 17 years ago. The company has?$3.5 billion worth of residential developments built or in process – mostly in Sydney. The disambiguation becomes even more important for Packer as he makes his foray into residential properties with his proposed $2 billion?waterfront Barangaroo casino resort.