Redbull cancels marketing event on the tail of an intellectual property lawsuit.

1. Due to a pending Intellectual Property lawsuit, Red Bull was forced to cancel its
latest stunt-oriented marketing event; a man jumping 23 miles above the earth’s
surface to break the speed of sound.
The Intellectual Property suit filed by Daniel Hogan
Daniel Hogan filed a suit against Red Bull alleging the energy drink maker used
his idea of breaking various world records involving a man parachuting from the
edge of space. Hogan approached Red Bull in fall of 2004 with marketing ideas
and later provided detailed technical information about the stunt. Hogan first filed
the suit in April after he discovered Red Bull’s event which he felt was a theft.
Hogan told the Wall Street Journal “This was my idea from start to finish” and
alleges Red Bull dismissed him from the project but used his ideas anyway.
Red Bull’s Marketing Plan
Red Bull’s latest marketing stunt involved a dive of over 120,000 feet over New
Mexico by expert parachutist Felix Baumgartner. A special suit was created for
Baumgartner to break the sound barrier during his descent. The event would have
brought a large amount of publicity to the energy drink maker as it is commonly
associated with extreme stunts and sports.
Red Bull coordinated the project for the past three years and compiled a video
about their efforts, much of which Hogan claims to have created.
What Is Intellectual Property Litigation?
Intellectual Property is anything created by the mind such as artistic works, names,
music, designs etc. There are different kinds of Intellectual Property, but in the case
of Hogan and Redbull, this is a copyright issue because Hogan alleges to have
created the marketing strategy and technical information for this kind of stunt.
Hogan also alleges Red Bull stole the idea by sending a man in to a 23 mile free
fall for a marketing effort.