Billboard Model Sues Filmmakers, Because Her Billboard Appears For 12 Seconds In The Movie

from the loss-of-reputation? dept

The world is going crazy. Last year, we wrote about the bizarre job of some movie industry lawyers who have to go through films to make sure no brands appear in the film that haven't given express approval. It's an example of the ridiculousness of the "permission" society we now live in, where everything is covered by copyright and even having something appear in the background of a film can count as a copyright or trademark infringement in the minds of many.

Michael Scott points us to the news that a model named Angelyne, who appears in some billboard advertisements, is suing the makers of the film Notorious, because one of her billboards appears in the film for approximately 12-seconds "without prior consent." I can't see how this wouldn't be fair use, but with the US courts, you never know. Still, in the lawsuit, she claims that because of the billboard being in the film, she suffered "loss of reputation and standing in the community." You know what else might create loss of reputation or standing in the community? Filing ridiculous copyright lawsuits against moviemakers who happened to catch your billboard which was on display out in public.

Filed Under: angelyne, billboards, copyright, notorious