As much as some companies would love to link their products to big celebrity names sometimes that’s a bit too expensive. But some businesses decide to use celebrity names without asking for permission. While for some celebrities that means free advertising, when it comes to Julia Roberts and George Clooney not paying intellectual property rights is bad. Julia Roberts and George Clooney have decided to sue two companies in a joint legal action for using their names and images.
The businesses that dared to use Julia Roberts’ and George Clooney’s names and images to promote their products are Beyond Audio and Digital Projection. According to the filed documents, the top leading Hollywood actors say that the two electronics companies have taken advantage of their popularity to promote entertainment systems and high-end projectors.
Proving that messing with Julia Roberts, for once, and George Clooney isn’t the best advertising strategy you’d like to have, the complaint reads four causes of actions. The actors are accusing the two electronics companies for negligent misuse, trademark infringement, privacy and publicity right violations. And when thinking how much these two actors win, it’s likely they’re going to bankrupt the two companies in the settlement.
For the electronics companies in discussion, the most challenging charge to argue against would be that related to trademark infringement. As the lawsuit files read, the two companies have “prominently [using] large photographs” without asking for their approval, and ran ads containing these photos in several magazines, their websites, newsletters, email alerts and brochures.
The complaint was filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court. The Hollywood Reporter got the first hand peek at it. For the charges, the two actors want compensatory damages that haven’t yet been specified, punitive and treble damages, as well as legal action against the two said companies.
Although the two actors have joined forces in their common lawsuit, Julia Roberts and George Clooney are going to be represented by different lawyers. The joint lawsuit was a sort of statement the two have made as friends.
Both Julia Roberts and George Clooney are working on upcoming projects. Julia Roberts will star next to Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County”, while George Clooney has a part in the 3D flick “Gravity”.
