Though the Chuckster-in-blackface routine is what really oughta piss off TNT’s Round Mound Of Sound, Cable 360.net reports on legal activity surrounding the sporting scene’s version of Rich Little.
DISH Network’s legal machine is working overtime these days, with a new lawsuit popping up on our radar every few weeks. The latest complaint to grab our attention involves sports legends John Madden and Charles Barkley. Last month, DISH quietly asked the US District Court for CO to declare that its ad campaign featuring parodies of the 2 former athletes does not violate trademark or common law rights. While the complaint was filed on Valentine’s Day, as far as we can tell, no media picked up on it.
DISH said it filed the complaint because Madden and Barkley reps have threatened imminent legal action over the national campaign. The spots feature comedian Frank Caliendo, star of TBS series “Frank TV,” impersonating the 2 (see them at www.dishnetwork.com). Other famous faces lampooned in the campaign includewww.dishnetwork.com George W Bush and Al Pacino (not mentioned in the court filing). Caliendo, who is ID’d as a comedian in the spots, appears as himself side-by-side his impersonations, who tout DISH products (ie, Bush likes the “recordification” of the DVR). The parodies “do no create any likelihood of confusion, or suggest or imply that Mr. Madden or Mr. Barkley endorse Dish Network.”