SeventyOne
Platinum Member
In Disney's defense, Universal hasn't exactly copyrighted a map. While the resemblance is definitely noticeable, one is the Marauder's Map and the other is a generic pirate/adventure/treasure map. I highly doubt the marketing department went, "Hmm. What should we put onto this new website? A map? No. That wouldn't work. Unless . . . What if we copied WWoHP's map?! Now we're talking!"
Two things:
(1) Just by creating a map, Universal has a copyright in it. That said, I'll bet money they formerly filed that copyright, giving them even more legal protection. In any case, this seems like more a trade dress issue, which is similar but not quite the same. Not saying they should sue--not sure I see the upside--just saying I don't see that case getting tossed out of court. [/LawyerMode]
(2) This looks nothing like a pirate map. It's far too medieval, pirate maps reflect a romanticized version of the 17th/18th centuries (too lazy to look, but compare to pirate map motifs used on DCL documents). Font, paper and ink style, all scream Hogwarts, not buried treasure.
And even if it was, what does a pirate map and searching for treasure have to do with Beauty & the Beast or Storybook Circus?