My picture’s painted through words that make a blind man see
Woody Allen asked a federal court on Monday to strip a clothing company known for its racy ads featuring scantily clad models of at least $10 million for using his image on billboards and on the Internet.
In a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the actor and director said he does not endorse commercial products or services in the United States, which makes the May 2007 American Apparel billboards in Hollywood and New York [Allen street] and Web site displays “especially egregious and damaging.”
The lawsuit said Allen was not contacted by the company and did not consent to the use of his image, which was taken from one of his movies.
American Apparel Inc., which is based in Los Angeles and operates worldwide, did not immediately reply to a telephone message seeking comment Monday.
The lawsuit complained of a billboard featuring a frame from “Annie Hall,” a film that won Allen a best director Oscar. The billboard falsely implied that Allen sponsored, endorsed or was associated with American Apparel, said the lawsuit, which seeks at least $10 million in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages.
photo { AA billboard featuring Woody Allen on Allen Street, NYC | bonus: AA billboard featuring Woody Allen on Sunset Boulevard, LA }
