Woody Allen Strips American Apparel of $5 Million

Posted on May 18, 2009

AP photo / Seth Wenig

Woody Allen, replete with ruffled feathers, arrives at the federal courthouse in New York on Monday.

Woody Allen walked away with $5 million American Apparel dollars on Monday in a settlement of his lawsuit against the hipster-magnet clothing company. The actor-director had sued American Apparel for $10 million after the company put up billboards with an ad showing Allen dressed as a rabbi—an image taken from a scene from “Annie Hall”—without his permission. 

The Wall Street Journal:

Court papers filed on Mr. Allen’s behalf had described the actor-director as one of the most influential figures in the history of American film, and say he believes maintaining strict control over his image has been critical to his success.

The papers claimed Mr. Allen hasn’t done commercials in the United States since 1960s, when he was a struggling stand-up comic. The billboards, he says, falsely implied he endorsed a clothing line known for its racy advertising—a “blatant misappropriation and commercial use of Allen’s image.”

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