The company that owns the Golden Globes sued the Golden Globe Foundation on Tuesday, accusing the charity of trademark infringement and unfair competition and opening a second legal front in the fight over who controls the awards brand.
Golden Globes LLC, controlled by Penske Media, asks a jury to order the foundation to stop using the name. It also seeks an injunction and unspecified damages. The suit says the company sent the foundation a cease-and-desist letter last year, and that talks over a license collapsed after the nonprofit elected Raffi Boghosian as its leader. The complaint claims Boghosian directed the firing of former CEO Gregory Goeckner and the lawyer handling the negotiations, which the plaintiffs read as a sign the foundation planned to keep using the mark without permission.
The filing goes further. It describes the foundation’s expanding use of the name as part of a “broader pattern of coordination” with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of non-American journalists that founded the Globes in 1943. The complaint also asserts that the foundation and the association are finalizing a settlement that would send charitable funds to the association. The claim comes from the plaintiff’s filing, and no settlement has been announced.
The foundation rejects the premise. Spokesman Nate Miller said it was created “as part of the same deal that sold the Golden Globes” to the company now suing it. The foundation emerged from the sale to let the association continue charitable work. It recently held its first grants dinner, where it distributed $5 million to 96 organizations.
The suit arrives two months after the association’s remnants sued Penske Media, alleging monopolization and fraudulent misrepresentation over the 2023 purchase of the Globes by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge. The Globes side has called those claims illegitimate and described the association as defunct.
The sale itself followed a 2022 industry boycott, when studios, networks and stars refused to participate in the ceremony amid scrutiny of the association’s membership and practices. The courtroom clash comes as awards season gears up. The 84th Golden Globes are months away, and submissions for the 2027 ceremony close October 30.
