Foundation, appliance company battle over Julia Child
A few months ago marked what would have been famed chef Julia Childs 100th birthday. Now, her foundation is fighting to protect her good name.
November 09, 2012 at 05:34 AM
2 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com
A few months ago marked what would have been famed chef Julia Child's 100th birthday. Now, her foundation is fighting to protect her good name.
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts is accusing BSH Home Appliances Corp. of using Child's name and image to advertise its Thermador line of products without permission. The foundation says it has exclusive ownership and control of Child's name, image, likeness, celebrity identity, and trademarks and copyrights related to her.
Irvine, Calif.-based BSH acknowledges that it has used Child's images in its advertising, but the company says it's making a factual reference to Child's use of its Thermador products and isn't implying that she endorsed them. (Child had a Thermador oven in her Cambridge, Mass., kitchen and also used Thermador products on the set of “The French Chef.”) The company sued the foundation in Massachusetts in August, asking a judge to determine the rights of both sides in the dispute.
The foundation also filed two lawsuits against BSH—one in state court in Santa Barbara, Calif., where the foundation is based, and one in federal court in Los Angeles. The foundation seeks unspecified damages and an injunction to stop BSH from using Child's name.
Yesterday, District of Massachusetts Judge William Young granted the foundation's request to transfer BSH's lawsuit to L.A. Young said the case will be tried in California, though he might handle pretrial matters.
Read the Washington Post for more about the suit.
Read more InsideCounsel stories about celebrity copyright and trademark infringement cases:
Michael Jackson sites taken down for copyright violations
MGM settles suit over “Raging Bull”
Guitarist says NBA star Kevin Durant stole his “Durantula” nickname
One Direction sued for $1 million over name dispute
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Trending Stories
- 1An Eye on ‘De-Risking’: Chewing on Hot Topics in Litigation Funding With Jeffery Lula of GLS Capital
- 2Arguing Class Actions: With Friends Like These...
- 3How Some Elite Law Firms Are Growing Equity Partner Ranks Faster Than Others
- 4Fried Frank Partner Leaves for Paul Hastings to Start Tech Transactions Practice
- 5Stradley Ronon Welcomes Insurance Team From Mintz
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
