04.15.09 AMERICAN APPAREL NOT AFRAID TO PLAY DIRTY
American Apparel, a clothing store for people practically begging to get punched, used this shot of Woody Allen from Annie Hall in their billboard on Allen street (omg, clever!) in NYC last April. Allen promptly sued them for $10 mil, saying they’d used the image without his permission and he doesn’t endorse products. But now comes the good part. Check out American Apparel’s counter argument:
American Apparel says that it can’t have damaged Allen’s reputation by using his image because the film director has already ruined it himself. The company plans to make Allen’s relationships to actress Mia Farrow and her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn the focus of a May 18 trial, according to the company’s lawyer, Stuart Slotnick. “Our belief is that after the various sex scandals that Woody Allen has been associated with, corporate America’s desire to have Woody Allen endorse their product is not what he may believe it is.”
Slotnick said it was not a cheap shot to bring up Allen’s sex life. “It’s certainly relevant in assessing the value of an endorsement,” he said, noting that Olympic swimmer “Michael Phelps lost endorsement power after a photograph surfaced of him using marijuana.”
Lawyers for American Apparel have complained that Allen has refused to turn over much of the information they have demanded to prepare for trial. Among their demands were documents concerning any endorsement requests that were withdrawn after the sex scandal with Farrow and Previn became public. [via AP, theplaylist]
Much as I hate everything about American Apparel and their ugly, annoying, boring, overpriced hipster clothes, even I have to admit the “Yeah? Well you’re a child molester” defense is pretty effin gangster.
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There are 41 comments about:
AMERICAN APPAREL NOT AFRAID TO PLAY DIRTY
Pretty cold that they’re outing him as a Hebrew. Goodbye, presidency of the Bacon Lobby.
You know the ethics those guys have, they’re like a notch below child molesters, er, film directors, er, lawyers.
He had to sue–he needs the eggs.
Woody’s just pissed because this voids his endorsement contract with Yarmulkes ‘R Us.
Slotnick had better watch his back. Woody has been known to carry a gub.
Not kosher, bro.
This is fucking stupid. Woody won’t get 10 mil, but he has the case won regardless of what tactic they use against him. They used his image without permission, you lose American Apparel.
I used the same defense when I got caught using a fake ID in college. The name on the ID was Gary Glitter.
I use the “Your Honor, my dick doesn’t have any hands” defense in my child molester case.
So he’s damaged his reputation to the point where he has to give away free advertising?
That’s it, I’m putting a picture of Lindsay Lohan on the side of my car. I expect the checks to start coming in a matter of weeks.
I hear Pottery Barn is using this same argument to defend their billboards showcasing the former leader of the Khmer Rouge.
Roman Polanski is just pissed off because American Apparel has finally put up a billboard that he couldn’t masturbate to.
To be fair, Sun-Yi was asking for it. Unfortunately for her, “ice cream” sounds like “Fuck me, step daddy” in her native language,
I agree, Biggie - this seems to be a tactic designed to discourage him from taking it to trial.
Dor sho gha! The Mighty Feklhar put that foreign text into His infallible Universal Translator:
“completely that my hat can kill an odd employment, if thrown to him”
Who the fuck is Woody Allen?
[life partner whispers in ear]
That heeb hack hook beak kike baby raping redundant shit for brains over hyped piece of shit(tum)?!
Holy shit I need some new distressed jeans!
[runs out door to mall]
As a person who knows a lawyer, I am proud to say that I am getting drunk right now. Bitches.
The African American Apparel billboard features R. Kelly.
Hath not a Jew tights? Leggings? Overpriced t-shirts?
The Not So African American Apparel billboard features Michael Jackson.
So I guess this means Target will be rolling out those Phil Specter billboards any day now.
Rich dude molests a little immigrant girl and gets into no real trouble? He’s American Apparently. That didn’t work.
So Woody decided to fight company using a picture that stereotypes Jews(Rabbi Garb) buy using a tactic(Money Grubbing) that also stereotypes Jews?
…not to mention WalMart’s new “You Can’t Beat Our Prices!” campaign, featuring Chris Brown.
Next up: R. Kelly billboard for their new junior miss gold lamé bathing suits.
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