Lawsuit Filed Against AEW & Luchasaurus Over Luchasaurus Mask Legal Issues

AEW and AEW talent Luchasaurus reportedly are currently facing a lawsuit over legal issues involving Luchasaurus’ mask, according to Wrestlenomics.

Brandon Thurston reported that this lawsuit was filed on December 20th by Composite Effects, LLC based on recent court records. This lawsuit reportedly is claiming that they own the copyright to Luchasaurus’ mask and that both AEW and Luchasaurus have been committing copyright infringement against them. This lawsuit is also alleging that both AEW and Luchasaurus have been selling merchandise featuring their copyrighted design without permission.

In the filing, it was stated that Luchasaurus, real name Austin Matelson, had worked with their company in 2016 on the production of a modified version of their existing Viper Silicone Mask design. This mask was stated to have later been upgraded in 2019 to add horns as a new feature.

The company is claiming that while they gave permission for Mateslson to wrestle with the mask, they did not give him permission to use their design for merchandise-related purposes.

The company is also claiming that they had entered an agreement with AEW in 2019 after learning of Mateslson’s signing with the company. This new agreement was for the production of a new mask for Mateslson to use, which they claimed was shipped to AEW in August of 2021 but rarely used, if ever.

The company is also claiming that they had contacted AEW again in 2022 demanding for AEW and Mateslson to stop using their design or come to terms with a new licensing agreement. The company is also claiming that Mateslson had entered an agreement with a separate mask maker to create a “near replica” version of his current Luchasaurus mask.

Composite Effects reportedly is currently asking to be awarded profits AEW has made from sales of Luchasaurus merchandise featuring their mask design, economic damages, and attorneys’ fees.