Use of Ali’s image sparks $30M lawsuit

CHICAGO— Muhammad Ali Enterprises has filed a $30-million federal lawsuit against Fox Broadcasting Company, claiming Fox used without permission the late boxer’s identity in a video that aired just before its broadcast of the Super Bowl last February.

In the lawsuit filed in Chicago, Muhammad Ali Enterprises contends that Fox used Ali’s “name, image and likeness as the centrepiece of its three-minute promotional video” before its broadcast of the game that attracted a national audience of 111 million viewers.

In explaining just how valuable Ali’s name and image were to Fox, the lawsuit contends that Fox could have sold those three minutes of time just before the start of the Super Bowl to advertisers for $30 million (all figures U.S.).

“Fox obtained great value by using Muhammad Ali to promote itself,” attorney Frederick Sperling, who filed the lawsuit, said in a statement. “It should pay for what it took.”

The lawsuit contends that the video, which included the images of NFL greats such as Joe Montana, Vince Lombardi and Tom Brady, was “far more” than a tribute to Ali eight months after his death. It says the video was done in such a way as to “define greatness and ultimately compare the NFL legends to Ali and thus to define them and the Super Bowl as ‘greatness’ too.”

The lawsuit also says the video “falsely implies” that Ali or Muhammad Ali Enterprises had endorsed Fox. Muhammad Ali Enterprises owns the trademark rights, copyrights, the right of publicity and all other intellectual property rights of Ali.

Eddie Motl, a Fox vice-president, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Two years ago, a jury awarded basketball legend Michael Jordan $8.9 million in his lawsuit against a supermarket chain for using his identity in an ad without permission.