Spike Lee Sued By Sara Lee
Andy Borowitz bakes up a tasty report:
ìPie-maker Sara Lee today slapped filmmaker Spike Lee with a $90 million dollar trademark infringement suit, claiming that the director was unfairly benefiting from a positive association with the companyís mouth-watering array of pies, pastries and assorted breakfast treats.Geoffrey Stimpson, a company spokesman, said that Spike Leeís attempt to piggyback on Sara Leeís good name was doomed to failure.
ëNobody doesnít like Sara Lee, but plenty of people donít like Spike Lee,í Mr. Stimpson said.î
Lawyers from Sara Lee also noted that the company owns the word ìpie,î and ìdemanded that Mr. Lee remove the letters P, I, and E from his first name ëimmediately.íî
(via Volokh.com)
Dude...that's just funny. Seriously...love it!
Clarkified at August 15, 2003 10:02 AM
I actually thought this article was serious, till I got to the part where Sara Lee claims to own the word "pie," and demanded that Spike Lee remove those letters from his name. Now, I had to think about that. If Sara Lee truly owned the word, those other companies who are making "pies" -- like Mrs. Smith, Hostess, McDonald's, etc. -- would have to find other names for their wares, unless they're all paying Sara Lee.
Patrick at August 15, 2003 11:09 AM
I hear Fox News, at the behest of Bill O'Reilly, is suing them both. Apparently, Bill trademarked the notion of having a surname that ends in a "lee" sound, back in 1996.
LYT at August 15, 2003 4:19 PM