Rollerball Ads Pulled

By Cmaster2 on 2002-01-30 11:59:12

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal judge Tuesday barred Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. from running ads that say its upcoming movie "Rollerball" is from the same filmmakers behind rival studio Universal Picture's street-racing hit "The Fast and the Furious."

Universal, a unit of Vivendi Universal, sued MGM for false advertising and unfair competition on Monday, seeking to halt the ads. Universal claimed its efforts to develop "Fast and Furious" sequels could suffer from association with "Rollerball," which has gained a reputation as a troubled picture.

MGM reportedly postponed its release date for "Rollerball," a remake of a 1975 drama about a futuristic roller derby, from last August to February of this year after a rough cut of the film was panned by online film critic Harry Knowles.

In recent broadcast spots, "Rollerball" was touted as being "from the filmmakers that brought you 'The Fast and the Furious."'

Universal officials argue the promotional link to its "F&F" was misleading because neither the director nor the producers for "Rollerball" had director or producer credits on "F&F."

The closest connection between the films in terms of their creative pedigree is that John Pogue, one of two screenwriters for the "Rollerball" update, also was one of several producers credited for "Fast and Furious."

U.S. District Judge Howard Matz sided with Universal and issued a temporary restraining order.

In other MGM Lawsuit news:

MGM CONCEDED DEFEAT

MGM later insisted its ads were fair but conceded defeat in court.

"We believe our ad was 100-percent accurate and appropriate," an MGM spokeswoman said. "However, since the injunction only involves a couple of TV and radio spots that were scheduled to end on Friday anyway, we are not going to contest the court's ruling and of course will abide by it."

Insiders at the studio said the disputed spots represented less than 10 percent of the advertising campaign for "Rollerball."

In an unrelated movie-marketing dispute, MGM has cried foul over New Line Cinema's title for its upcoming third installment of the spy spoof franchise starring Mike Myers, "Austin Powers in Goldmember."

In response to MGM's complaint that "Goldmember" infringed on its James Bond franchise, an industry arbitration panel ruled last week that "Goldmember" was inadmissible, forcing New Line to withdraw movie trailers, posters and online promotions for the latest Austin Powers film. New Line, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., has said it would appeal the ruling.

"Goldmember" plays on the title of the third in the series of Bond films, the 1964 classic "Goldfinger" starring Sean Connery.

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