Burberry Defends Right To Use Humphrey Bogart Image In Facebook Timeline

British fashion brand Burberry is catching heat over its use of a photo on its timeline page, since removed, of late actor Humphrey Bogart wearing a Burberry trench coat in 1942 Academy Award-winning film Casablanca.

British fashion brand Burberry is catching heat over its use of a photo on its timeline page, since removed, of late actor Humphrey Bogart wearing a Burberry trench coat in 1942 Academy Award-winning film Casablanca.

First, Pasadena, Calif.-based Bogart LLC requested that Burberry cease use of the photo, followed by a threat to sue for violation of Bogart’s publicity and trademark right, paidContent reported.

Then yesterday, in response to the possible suit, Burberry filed a complaint in New York (embedded below), requesting that a federal court rule that the posted photo does not infringe trademark or publicity rights belonging to Bogart LLC.

According to the complaint, the photo was paid for, and licensed from stock-photography supplier Corbis Images.

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