George, George, George of the Jungle, watch out for that -- lawsuit!
Bulldozer maker Caterpillar Inc. wants to bury Walt Disney Co.'s "George of the Jungle 2" movie, which it alleges in a lawsuit filed late Tuesday in Federal Court in Peoria, Illinois, infringes on its trademarks.
The heavy equipment giant contended in the suit that the straight-to-DVD project about the hapless jungle man battling "bulldozing bullies" puts Caterpillar in a bad light, the Peoria Journal Star said on Wednesday.
Peoria-based Caterpillar confirmed the suit against Disney's distribution arm Buena Vista Entertainment and Disney said it respected Caterpillar but that the suit was groundless.
"We expect the audience will view these sequences for their comedic value and not take them seriously," a spokesman said.
Poor Disney. They don't have the best reputation when it comes to litigating, and this won't help. Details here from Reuters via The Washington Post. (via OverLawyered.com)
UPDATE: The judge has refused to block the release of the DVD, according to this. (10/21/03)