John Dillinger's Family In Lawsuit With EA Over Dillinger Name

from the protecting-the-legacy dept

Thu, Sep 3rd 2009 8:56am — Mike Masnick

A few years ago, we wrote about how the grand-nephew of famed bank robber John Dillinger claiming rights over Dillinger's name, and threatening to sue anyone who either claims that Dillinger killed anyone (this is in dispute) or who is using Dillinger's name and making money. Of course, he has almost no legal basis for this, but it doesn't stop him from threatening litigation. The latest target? Video game giant EA. The gamemaker, who used "Dillinger" guns in various video games, is now preemptively taking the guy to court after he demanded millions of dollars from them -- and by doing so, gets to choose a more favorable court. It's good that EA's being proactive about this -- and hopefully a big win in court will stop others from being bullied by this guy.

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Filed Under: john dillinger, privacy rights
Companies: ea

25 Comments

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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 8:58am

Here we go again...
Dillinger was a skank, The Lady In Red was certainly a skank, and Dillinger's nephew is all kinds of skanky.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 9:11am

Sweet!
Before he goes to court, I have something tell this guy:

I am John Dillinger's mother's brother's father's former college roommate.

What does that make us?

Abolutely nothing, which is what he is about to become.

Bwahahahahahahahahah!
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- Danny, 3 Sep 2009 @ 9:16am
  
  Re: Sweet!
  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
  
  So you're saying this guy will lose to EA because this guy is dumb?
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  - Dark Helmet (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 9:20am
    
    Re: Re: Sweet!
    Evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.
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    - Killer_Tofu (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 11:10am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Sweet!
      I do not think your name has come into play with your random comments so eloquently as it has here today. I applaud and thank you.
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    - Jordan Chistopher Davis, 3 May 2011 @ 4:26am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Sweet!
      what is favorite movie
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- Matt, 3 Sep 2009 @ 9:31am
  
  Re: Sweet!
  I was gonna say the same thing
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- John Dillinger (deceased), 3 Sep 2009 @ 11:28am
  
  Re: Sweet!
  If I could return to the living, I would flop copious amounts of phallus upon the forehead and bridge of the nose of my idiot grand-nephew for being so incredibly stupid.
  
  Anyone wishing to use my name and further the legend of Dillinger may do so free of respite and repercussions.
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BenJHare, 3 Sep 2009 @ 9:46am

Has he tried to sue bands "The Dillinger Escape Plan", "Dillinger Four", artist "Dillinger", producers "Dillinjah", "Daz Dillinger", or Disney for the antagonist in Tron, Ed Dillinger.... Then there's everyone involved with the films about Dillinger, there's at least 4 of them..
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- Danny, 3 Sep 2009 @ 11:03am
  
  Re:
  Dont forget the Documentaries about him, there is a character in the anime Trigun named Dillinger Mary, etc...
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John Doe, 3 Sep 2009 @ 10:10am

His strategy is sound
Actually, his strategy is a good one. It is easier to win in court than to win the lottery.
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boomhauer (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 10:11am

finally
maybe if this goes mainstream it'll cut down on some of the stupid suites out there..
thought it would sound kinda funny having doctors sue their patients as a preventative measure against malpractice! interesting.
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NullOp, 3 Sep 2009 @ 10:12am

Oiy!
Assuming EA wins this case if WILL NOT stop others from trying the same thing. The "Great False Assumption" is that people learn from others mistakes.

"Some people can learn by watching others. Some people can learn by reading books. But most people just have to pee on the electric fence for themselves!"
---Will Rogers
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Chucklebutte (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 11:27am

this guy...
him and jack thompson should team up for a circle jerk then make out with each others hands to clean up the mess when they are done.
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elmer92413 (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 12:03pm

Justification?
Is there not a certain amount of justification for something like this in order to maintain a deceased person's true identity? For instance would a movie that purports itself to be a kind of biopic (what hollywood picture doesn't horrible distort true events anyway) that depicts Washington as a satan incarnate be ok? Or would someone be able to stop it by saying that it gross misrepresents him? Obviously things like satire would not fall under this as the main goal of satire is not to tell a story.

But what this guy is doing is pretty stupid. He doesn't own a name no matter what his connection with someone else who is well know with that name. I don't have a monopoly over elmer do I?
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ChadBroChill (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 7:24pm

What if they include a Derringer in thier game as well?
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- slander (profile), 3 Sep 2009 @ 8:05pm
  
  Re:
  That's in the Japanese version...
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Gene Barry, 8 Sep 2009 @ 1:52pm

John Dillenger
What's next? Will we pay royalites to OJ Simpson for buying OJay Orange Juice?
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lost one, 30 Oct 2009 @ 8:15am

dillinger
i hope ea wins .this guy cost me lots of money over the name dillings .what gos around comes around thanks
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Brittany Hammock, 10 Nov 2009 @ 1:42pm

John Dillinger is my great great great Uncle. No JOKE!!!
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- Dwight Brawdy, 18 Jul 2016 @ 2:20pm
  
  Re: great,great,great uncle..........
  Your last name is very similar to John Dillingers only full sisters name after she married. Her married name was Audrey Hancock. Alberta Hancock Huber (Audrey Hancocks daughter) lived her last several years and died in Pike county, Indiana in 1980. I worked with her husband many years and knew him well.
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Javier Menchaca, 10 Dec 2009 @ 9:33pm

Making money off of some one
That is so wrong that ea would even make money from s former legened
like dillenger.he should have been respected.or if thier are family members
they should be cominsated as this is thier family.that's what's worng companys today making money over some one elses's foutune.you go and fight these jerks and what's rightfully yours.good luck
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john, 15 Mar 2010 @ 4:46pm

Really?
Dont forget the Documentaries about him, there is a character in the anime Trigun named Dillinger Mary, etc...

John
make money facebook
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David Hallen, 25 Apr 2011 @ 10:02am

Suing Over A Name
"Led Zeppelin played a gig (Feb.28th, 1970) in Copenhagen as The Nobs after Eva Von Zeppelin, a relative of the airship designer, threatened to sue if the family name was used in Denmark. Today, Gibson takes a look back: By February of 1970, Led Zeppelin had released their first two albums and had become one of the big names in rock and roll. But the legendary band didn't use their name when they played a show in Denmark on this day in 1970. For the first, and only time, Led Zeppelin were billed as The Nobs.

The name change stemmed from an incident from when the group played Copenhagen the year before. Eva von Zeppelin, a descendant of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (creator of the famous aircraft), was unhappy that a rock band was becoming famous off of her family's name. She even tried to prevent Led Zeppelin from recording a performance for Danish television, saying that the band sounded like a bunch of "shrieking monkeys." The attempt didn't work and the boys performed for the TV Byen cameras, as planned."

The moral of the story? Some people will do anything for attention!

Lastly, my mother's maiden name is Dillinger. There are a lot of nice Dillinger families in the United States and I really never think about some bank robber. I just think about all of the nice family members I was fortunate enough to have in my life.

Check any family tree and you will find a few bad apples.
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Henry Billows, 27 Jun 2015 @ 5:30pm

So, what happened?
So, what happened?
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