Genting promises that its first Las Vegas casino resort will look nothing like neighboring Wynn Las Vegas and Encore
Malaysian hotel and casino operator Genting Group said today that its Resorts World Las Vegas integrated resort will look “dramatically different” from nearby Wynn Las Vegas and Encore when finished in late 2020.
In a filing to Bursa Malaysia from earlier today, Genting said it has filed its opposition to recent claims made by rival casino operator Wynn Resorts that the design of its Las Vegas property was “substantially and confusingly similar” to that of its marquee resorts Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.
Wynn Resorts filed in December a trademark infringement complaint with the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, seeking a preliminary injunction and arguing that by copying the design of its properties, Genting was trying to confuse the public and that this could harm Wynn’s business.
Wynn’s marquee hotel and casino towers sport a distinct curved facade and are glazed with bronze-colored glass. The company’s legal motion included images of the design of Genting’s resort that is currently under construction right across the street from where Wynn Las Vegas and Encore stand. According to court papers, Wynn argued that Resorts World Las Vegas shared striking similarities with its properties, including the concave facade.
The Las Vegas hotel and casino giant is seeking “exemplary and punitive damages” over unfair competition, copyright infringement, federal trademark dilution, and several more counts.
Dramatically Different
Genting is currently building Resorts World Las Vegas, its first Vegas property in the underdeveloped north end of the Strip, which has captured quite some investment interest over the past several years. The property is slated to open doors in late 2020, although there have been reports about delays.
Genting has not said how much it would spend on the hotel and casino resort, but analysts believe at least $4 billion worth of investment is in the pipeline. The resort will have a unique Chinese theme and will aim to cater to Asian gamblers that visit Las Vegas.
In its filing from earlier today, the Malaysia gaming giant said that Wynn Resorts’ claim is “predicated on speculative extrapolation regarding the appearance of [Genting’s] unfinished resort and casino, which is still in an early stage of construction.”
The company went on to say that Resorts World Las Vegas will “look dramatically different” from Wynn Las Vegas and Encore when it swings its doors open. Genting included a “pictorial representation” of its property to dispel any suggestions that its own resort and those of Wynn could be confused by “a reasonable customer.”
The filing further pointed out that the Las Vegas company has failed to show how Resorts World Las Vegas will imminently and irreparably harm its business and its “reputation and goodwill.”
Today’s filing ends with an update on the construction progress, revealing that activity at the site continues and is on track for late 2020 completion.
This is the second major legal lawsuit Genting has been embroiled in over the past few months. News emerged in November that the company was suing Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century Fox for backing out of a deal for the development of a Fox-branded theme park at Resorts World Genting, an integrated resort located just outside the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
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