Fox News Channel has sued liberal humorist Al Franken and the Penguin Group to stop them from using the phrase "fair and balanced" in the title of his upcoming book.
Filed Monday in Manhattan, the trademark infringement lawsuit seeks a court order forcing Penguin to rename the book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." It also asks for unspecified damages.
Fox News registered "Fair & Balanced" as a trademark in 1995, the suit says.
The AP reports it here via the Washington Post.
UPDATE: The Drudge Report is reporting that Fox's complaint contains the following allegations:
"Franken is neither a journalist nor a television news personality," according to the complaint. "He is not a well-respected voice in American politics; rather, he appears to be shrill and unstable. His views lack any serious depth or insight."
Lawyers for Fox who filed the complaint also take issue with Franken's book cover because it "mimics the look and style" of two books written by Bill O'Reilly
The court papers refer to Franken, who is a former "Saturday Night Live" writer and performer, as a "parasite"
Franken is also accused of verbally attacking O'Reilly and Sean Hannity on at least two occasions, and of being "either intoxicated or deranged"...
I can't confirm that independantly, so take it for what it is worth. Pretty vituperative, though.
UPDATE UPDATE: If The New York Times is to be believed, Drudge was completely accurate. See here.