Veteran filmmaker Woody Allen has filed legal papers accusing clothing company American Apparel of using his image in its advertising without his permission.
The comedian claims he was never contacted by an American Apparel representative about the billboard and online advertisements, which featured an image - taken from the Oscar-winning 1977 movie Annie Hall - of Allen dressed as a Hasidic Jew.
In legal documents filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Monday, Allen says he doesn’t endorse commercial products in the US and that American Apparel hasn’t compensated him for the use of his likeness.
Allen is seeking damages of more than $10 million.
Satire involving a public figure is protected by the First Amendment. Woody must just be looking to publicity for his new movie.
Well, if it was strictly parody, I would agree with Tabatha. But this seems strictly advertising - although I’m not sure what is advertised . . . not do I have any idea who still understands a dead language (Yiddish, which like Ladino, is fine for scholarly exercises, but modern Hebrew is today’s lingua franca). I’ve saw another American Apparel advert - couldn’t figure out the product for it, either. L’hiam!