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Arnold, Denzel, Bruce Lay Down Law
How's this for an all-star cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis.
The troika of Hollywood mega-stars are coming together for a joint project--but this blockbuster won't be coming to your local cineplex. The action will instead play out in a Los Angeles courtroom.
The A-listers have filed suit against Fry's Electronics, claiming the chain used their famous faces in newspaper ads sans their approval.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Fry's of superimposing the actors' countenances on TVs with the intent of making it look like the celebs were pitchmen for the company, when in fact they never agreed to do so. The suit seeks $10 million in damages for each of the actors--or about half their typical movie paycheck.
The suit states that while such unlawful use might be attractive to clientele, it has the ultimate effect of "diminishing [their] hard-earned and well-deserved reputations as major motion pictures stars and risks the potential for overexposure," which could hurt their bankability and their careers.
Fry's Electronics has stores throughout California, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and Texas.
Neither the attorney representing the stars, Martin Singer, nor a spokesman for Fry's could be reached for comment.
The Tinseltown trio aren't the only ones wanting to protect their image from unwanted exploitation.
In February, the entire cast of The Sopranos, wanting more ba-da-bing for their buck, sued electronics big box Best Buy in a virtually identical lawsuit.
Electronics stores typically put scenes from upcoming movies or video/DVD releases onto TV screens in Sunday newspaper flyers, usually with permission of the studio. But, like the Schwarzenegger-Washington-Willis joint, The Sopranos' suit asserts the actors' "likenesses were used without even seeking, much less receiving" their okay. The mobsters and molls are seeking a cut of the profits stemming from the ads, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Although stores like Fry's and Best Buy have outlets throughout the country, these types of suits are regularly filed in California court because Hollywood-friendly state law makes it easier for celebs to go after advertisers for misappropriating their famous mugs.
Recent similar suits were launched by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who reunited last year to sue beauty-products retailer Sephora USA for using their faces in an ad without authorization. They were joined in January by Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, who also took Sephora to court for illegally including photos of them in its Valentine's Day promotions.
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