Haas's Lawsuit Against Guenther Steiner: Court Delivers Verdict On First Stage

Central District Court of California dismisses Haas Automation's lawsuit against Guenther Steiner over trademark use in autobiography, but legal battles between the parties continue.

Oct 22, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Haas Formula One Team engineer Guenther Steiner is interviewed before practice for the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In a recent ruling by the Central District Court of California, the lawsuit filed by Haas Automation against their former team principal Guenther Steiner has been dismissed.

The court decision, delivered by United States District Court Judge André Birotte Jr., marks the end of a contentious legal battle over the alleged unauthorized use of Haas trademarks in Steiner’s autobiography, "Driving to Survive."

Haas Automation filed the lawsuit earlier this year accusing Steiner and his publisher of breaking trademark rules. The company claimed that the former team chief used Haas trademarks in his book without consent. The autobiography, which recounts Steiner’s experience as Team Principal of the Haas F1 Team during the 2022 season, reportedly generated at least $4.5 million in sales by January. And despite the legal battle, Steiner has confirmed that a second book is on the way.

The American team asserted that the book's publication violated their exclusive intellectual property rights and sought substantial damages. However, the court found that the use of Haas’s trademarks was legally permissible. Judge Birotte Jr. explained, according to Racing News 365:

"[The book] details Steiner’s experience as Team Principal of the Haas F1 Team.

"That necessarily requires him to mention the Haas name. As many sports biographies do, it includes photographs of the season, which will undoubtedly show the Haas marks.

"The use of the Haas marks is artistically relevant to the book. The book recounts Steiner’s experiences as Team Principal of the Haas F1 Team during the 2022 season.

"Using photos that include the Haas Marks is an artistic choice to provide additional context about the 2022 season with the Haas F1 Team."

Judge Birotte Jr. added:

"There is no explicit indication, overt claim, or explicit misstatement that the 'source of the work' is Haas Automation.

"While there’s an argument the photo on the cover implicitly suggests endorsement or sponsorship, there is no explicitly misleading statement or suggestion by way of the Haas marks."

The lawsuit’s dismissal represents a significant moment in this legal drama, but it doesn’t mark the end of the courtroom troubles between Haas and Steiner. There is a pending case where Steiner has alleged that Haas owes him unpaid commissions between 2021 and 2023 and claims that the organization used his likeness without authorization in promotional materials and merchandise, violating their employment agreement. This secondary litigation is expected to concluded in about a year.

This all comes after Steiner's surprising exit from the team at the beginning of the year. He was replaced by Ayao Komatsu.