Leno and NBC Sue Over Joke Books

By Carmen 

Bloomberg News reports that the Tonight Show host and its parent company sued the publishers of joke books such as JOKE EXPRESS and LOVE’S FUNNY THAT WAY, claiming the books illegally reproduce the work of Jay Leno and other comedians. Andrews McMeel Publishing and Barnes & Noble Inc.’s Sterling Publishing are among publishers of 19 joke books over the past ten years that use copyrighted material without authorization, NBC and Leno claimed in a complaint filed yesterday in Los Angeles federal court. The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages that they said will be donated to charity.

The case, for those looking for further information, is NBC Studios Inc. et al v. Judy Brown et al, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles), CV06-7572.