Daryl Hannah Sues Hybrid Bike Maker Over Ad Promotion
Filed under: cars-houses, travel — Michael d'Estries @ 10:32 am
September 29th 2008
Back in June of 2007, we reported that Daryl Hannah had been spotted riding an iZip Hybrid Electric bike during the L.A. Bicycle Coalition LA River Ride. Digging a bit deeper, it turned out that Hannah had received the bike from Ed Begley Jr. — who couldn’t be at the race due to a cross-country trip in his Prius. Anyways, Begley enjoys a business relationship with Currie Technologies, makers of the iZip, and thought Hannah would love the opportunity to try one. The company agreed, sent her one, and then also allowed her to keep it after the race.
So now Hannah is suing the green bicycle maker for using “her name and photo to promote the product on its website and catalog, wrongly leading potential customers to think that she endorsed the product.”
Really? Didn’t she endorse the product by a.) using it in a race and b.) deciding to keep it when it was offered to her? Is suing an upstart green company like iZip for $1 million dollars in damages the right move here? I understand that people do not want to be misrepresented — but it seems to me that companies promote celebs using their products all the time; even if they only spot them with the swag in paparazzi pics.
What do you think? The offending photo is above.
[UPDATE: Please read our new post on this development here...]
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Tagged: daryl hannah
My guess is that it’s some greedy lawyer looking to cash in. Hopefully Ms. Hannah will come to her senses and stop this nonsense. It’s really a bad reflection on her image as a green celeb!
Did Begley give her the bike or just loan it to her? If it was a loan, and she was just using it in a race, then she can very well politely ask the company to refrain from using her image.
But if she’s keeping the bike, well, that’s as good as an endorsement.
Besides, taking part in a public bicycle ride to promote green transportation is good publicity. Suing an upstart company is bad publicity.
According to the iZip folks — and this was last year — she kept the bike. So far, as it appears, this is a ridiculous lawsuit.
She asked the company to take her image off the product awhile back and they did not do so. Now she is suing. Why is this a problem.
She must have too much time on her hands … pretty sad, Hannah. I know it’s been 20 years since splash and the money’s running out, but this is sad.
I have not seen her picture on the izip website for months and I check it out all the time to read the news links and see what Ed Begley has been up to.
They’re lucky she didn’t put on her eyepatch and go down to kick their ass.
(Seriously, actors own their image and those guys should have respected and licensed that.)
She does so much good, lets all not be quick to judge her. Her image is hers to do with as she chooses. She should choose who she endorses and why. Did they have a signed agreement to post her image when she accepted the bike? I think they tried to pull a fast one and cash in on her..
I agree she does so much good. So why jump on her back so fast? The suit is not about the money… she comes from money. Just because they give her a bike that gives them the right to use her image? It is quite a bit more having a celeb endorse a product than the price tag on that bike. ECORAZZI you sure are jumping on Daryl’s back quickly. Your website knows how much good she does and still you cut her down?
You’re right — Currie appears to be clearly in the wrong here. After reading the lawsuit, the details are much stronger. But I do wish more had been done behind the scenes to come to a resolution before the lawsuit had been filed.
I suspect that Ms Hannah will drop the lawsuit after she’s utilised the publicity… no publicity is bad publicity.
I hope she does – it would be bad to think a celeb wanted to kill green initiatives even before they get going.