Clothes firm's new suit
Woody sues over adverts
Woody Allen is suiting an American clothing giant for $10million for using his image to promote their brand.The director has filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Manhattan, claiming that American Apparel used a still from his classic 1977 comedy Annie Hall without his permission.
Allen said he does not endorse commercial products in America, so the billboards which appeared last year, were ‘especially egregious and damaging’ and falsely implied that he was backing American Apparel.
The lawsuit accuses American Apparel of ‘blatant misappropriation and commercial use of Allen's image’.
The image showed Allen dressed as a Hasidic Jew with a long beard and black hat and Yiddish text meaning ‘the holy rabbi’.
American Apparel has not yet made any comment on the case.
But at the time the adverts appeared, a spokesman said: ‘Woody Allen is our spiritual leader and that’s the only statement the company will make on that issue.’
Published: 1 Apr 2008
