Designer Elizabeth Emanuel sues Sportbox Entertainment and four other companies over a Las Vegas exhibition's paper replica of Princess Diana's 1981 wedding dress

The complaint

Emanuel v. Sportbox Entertainment Group, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-03629 (D. Nev.), was filed November 2, 2026, ECF No. 1, with a jury demand. Elizabeth Florence Emanuel, a fashion designer residing in London, England, sued five defendants: Sportbox Entertainment Group, Inc., d/b/a SBX Group, which the complaint describes as a Florida corporation based in Miami; Astound Group and See Global Entertainment, Inc., described as Nevada corporations; LV Exhibitions LP, described as a Delaware limited partnership; and LV Exhibitions, Inc., which the complaint says is believed to be a Delaware corporation. It says both LV Exhibitions entities are believed to have their principal place of business in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The complaint alleges, on information and belief, that SBX or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates created and produces the exhibition, that Astound and See Global co-produced it, that LV Exhibitions is or was its operator, and that LV Exhibitions, Inc. is the general partner of LV Exhibitions and controls its activities.

The works

The complaint centers on the wedding dress Emanuel designed and made in London in 1981, which it calls Princess Diana's Wedding Dress, worn by Lady Diana Spencer at her wedding on July 29, 1981, and on Emanuel's hand-drawn sketches of the dress. It says the claim concerns the dress's applied artwork and decorative embellishments, not its shape, cut, or functional features. It also pleads the Black Dress, of black silk taffeta with a sequined ruffle (1981); the Blue Dress, a pale blue dress covered in mother-of-pearl sequins created for Princess Diana (1983); a gold and white dress it calls the Diaghilev Dress (in or around 1986); a set of bridesmaids' dresses for the 1981 wedding; and a book about the wedding dress, A Dress for Diana, which it calls the Wedding Dress Book. The complaint says these works originated in the United Kingdom and that Emanuel holds the copyrights under the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. It alleges that the book's co-author assigned to her, on October 8, 2024, any rights he held in the works. It states that Emanuel has not obtained a U.S. registration for the works, that they are foreign-originating works to which the registration prerequisite of 17 U.S.C. § 411(a) does not apply, and that because the United States and the United Kingdom are parties to the Berne Convention she may maintain the action under 17 U.S.C. § 104(b). It also says she retained the copyrights when the wedding dress, a duplicate of it, and the Black Dress later changed hands.

The alleged infringement

The complaint alleges that the exhibition "Princess Diana & The Royals: The Exhibition," at a shopping center on the Las Vegas Strip, features a life-size paper replica of the wedding dress along with her sketches, and displays imitation versions of the other dresses and a signed limited edition of the book. It alleges that an agent for SBX approached Emanuel in or before 2019 for permission to include an exact replica of the dress, that negotiations beginning in or around 2020 failed and she did not consent, and that defendants then commissioned a paper artist to recreate the dress. It alleges the exhibition refers to Emanuel by name as the designer of the wedding dress and the Black Dress without her consent. It also alleges the exhibition lets paying visitors walk on a transparent walkway over the replica's train.

The claims and relief

Count One pleads copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. §§ 106 and 501. Count Two pleads deceptive trade practices under NRS 598.0915(1) and (2). Count Three pleads violation of Nevada's statutory right of publicity, NRS 597.790, for use of her name. Count Four pleads common law invasion of privacy by appropriation of her name. The prayer seeks declaratory relief, an injunction under § 502, actual damages and profits under § 504, impoundment under § 503, damages under Nevada law including NRS 41.600 and NRS 597.810, equitable relief, fees and costs, and interest. These are allegations the court has not decided.

Docket

The docket shows proposed summonses for each defendant on November 2, 2026, and on November 3, 2026 a judge assignment entry, issued summonses, and the AO 121 copyright report. A civil cover sheet and a certificate of interested parties were filed on November 2, 2026, the same day as the complaint. The complaint entry sets January 31, 2027 as the due date for proof of service.