TNN Can Now Become SpikeTV!
07-07-03, 07:14 PM
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TNN Can Now Become SpikeTV!
NEW YORK (AP) -- Filmmaker Spike Lee and Viacom have settled a lawsuit Lee filed to keep the media giant from calling its TNN cable television network "Spike TV."
Lee had obtained a temporary injunction in June, preventing the name change, but on Monday state Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub lifted the order.
The ruling means Viacom, which also owns CBS and MTV, can proceed immediately with plans to rebrand TNN as Spike TV, the "first television network for men." Viacom said it was renaming TNN "Spike TV" to attract more men to an audience already two-thirds male. Details on the settlement were not disclosed.
Lee, director of "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing," got the injunction after claiming that Viacom was renaming TNN in a deliberate attempt to hijack his name, image and reputation.
Lee, whose real name is Shelton Jackson Lee, said he objected to being associated with low-brow programming.
TNN shows reruns of "The A-Team," "Baywatch" and "Miami Vice" and sports entertainment such as pro wrestling and "American Gladiators."
The network also carries an animated series featuring Pamela Anderson as the voice of Stan Lee's "Stripperella," an undercover agent who is also a stripper.
The judge initially ordered Lee to post a $500,000 bond on June 13 after he issued a temporary injunction against Viacom's plan to rename TNN. But after a hearing two weeks ago, the judge raised the bond to $2.5 million and gave Lee until Monday to post it.
During the hearing, TNN vice president Kevin Kay said the network had lost millions of dollars since the injunction and stood to lose millions more if the bar continued.
The additional $2 million was never posted, and the judge vacated the injunction after both sides reached the agreement, said one of Lee's lawyers, Terry Gross.
"We have settled the case with Viacom," Gross said. "It's obviously good when parties settle."
Viacom officials didn't immediately return telephone calls seeking comment on the judge's order.
While the case was pending, Lee was in Los Angeles filming "Sucker-Free City" for Showtime, a cable network owned by Viacom.
Lee had obtained a temporary injunction in June, preventing the name change, but on Monday state Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub lifted the order.
The ruling means Viacom, which also owns CBS and MTV, can proceed immediately with plans to rebrand TNN as Spike TV, the "first television network for men." Viacom said it was renaming TNN "Spike TV" to attract more men to an audience already two-thirds male. Details on the settlement were not disclosed.
Lee, director of "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing," got the injunction after claiming that Viacom was renaming TNN in a deliberate attempt to hijack his name, image and reputation.
Lee, whose real name is Shelton Jackson Lee, said he objected to being associated with low-brow programming.
TNN shows reruns of "The A-Team," "Baywatch" and "Miami Vice" and sports entertainment such as pro wrestling and "American Gladiators."
The network also carries an animated series featuring Pamela Anderson as the voice of Stan Lee's "Stripperella," an undercover agent who is also a stripper.
The judge initially ordered Lee to post a $500,000 bond on June 13 after he issued a temporary injunction against Viacom's plan to rename TNN. But after a hearing two weeks ago, the judge raised the bond to $2.5 million and gave Lee until Monday to post it.
During the hearing, TNN vice president Kevin Kay said the network had lost millions of dollars since the injunction and stood to lose millions more if the bar continued.
The additional $2 million was never posted, and the judge vacated the injunction after both sides reached the agreement, said one of Lee's lawyers, Terry Gross.
"We have settled the case with Viacom," Gross said. "It's obviously good when parties settle."
Viacom officials didn't immediately return telephone calls seeking comment on the judge's order.
While the case was pending, Lee was in Los Angeles filming "Sucker-Free City" for Showtime, a cable network owned by Viacom.
07-07-03, 07:35 PM
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It makes me sick to think that this was settled outside of court.. I wonder what that a-hole got out of it. Viacom should just drop all funding for Sucker-free city.
07-07-03, 08:25 PM
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Originally posted by Jackskeleton
It makes me sick to think that this was settled outside of court.. I wonder what that a-hole got out of it. Viacom should just drop all funding for Sucker-free city.
It makes me sick to think that this was settled outside of court.. I wonder what that a-hole got out of it. Viacom should just drop all funding for Sucker-free city.
07-07-03, 09:19 PM
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while it IS amusing that Spike actually won the suit, if Striperella, R&S & Gary the Rat are examples of what's to come once they change their name...let's keep it TNN.
07-07-03, 09:52 PM
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They settled with money??
What, I thought this was about preserving his artistic blah, blah, blah! I see it this way, TNN's programming sucks regardless of the name and Spike Lee was halfway to oblivion anyway, so now he can take a few bucks and leave us alone.
We all win!
What, I thought this was about preserving his artistic blah, blah, blah! I see it this way, TNN's programming sucks regardless of the name and Spike Lee was halfway to oblivion anyway, so now he can take a few bucks and leave us alone.
We all win!
07-08-03, 07:52 AM
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Wonder if they settled with giving old Spikey Lee a development deal! 
Or maybe his head will be part of the SpikeTV logo!? 
Or maybe his head will be part of the SpikeTV logo!?
07-08-03, 08:53 AM
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There is nothing here that says Shelton was given any money at all. I think when the judgeordered Shelton to post another 2 million bucks he got cold feet and wanted a way out of this fast. I would have preferred that Viacom refused to settle and force a judge to make a ruling on this issue, but I can understand why they settled.
07-08-03, 11:27 AM
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There was no doubt in my mind that Spike Lee would lose his case. If for some reason he would have won it would have become a legal pandemonium. More lawsuits would have ensued, and soon enough parents would have to pay for the rights to name their children.
07-08-03, 11:56 AM
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Why are people acting like Spike Lee won anything? Shelton simply backed down.
Judge: Post another 2 million bond to go forward with the case.
Lee: Um...I think I wanna drop the case.
Viacom: Sounds good to us.
Case settled. Both sides of course claim to be satisfied.
Judge: Post another 2 million bond to go forward with the case.
Lee: Um...I think I wanna drop the case.
Viacom: Sounds good to us.
Case settled. Both sides of course claim to be satisfied.
07-08-03, 12:22 PM
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I thought cash exchanged because of the statement:
"We have settled the case with Viacom," Gross said. "It's obviously good when parties settle."
Seems like to settle a case the parties have to come to an agreement.
"We have settled the case with Viacom," Gross said. "It's obviously good when parties settle."
Seems like to settle a case the parties have to come to an agreement.
07-08-03, 01:45 PM
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Originally posted by Jackskeleton
I thought cash exchanged because of the statement:
"We have settled the case with Viacom," Gross said. "It's obviously good when parties settle."
I thought cash exchanged because of the statement:
"We have settled the case with Viacom," Gross said. "It's obviously good when parties settle."
07-08-03, 03:52 PM
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From tvguide.com
SPIKE SPAT SETTLED: In the end, Spike Lee did the right thing. The filmmaker has settled his court battle with Viacom, paving the way for TNN to call itself Spike TV. "As an artist and a filmmaker," Lee said in a statement, "I feel that protection of freedom of expression is a critical value and I am concerned that my efforts to stop Viacom from using the Spike TV name could have the unintended consequence of threatening the First Amendment rights of Viacom and others."
SPIKE SPAT SETTLED: In the end, Spike Lee did the right thing. The filmmaker has settled his court battle with Viacom, paving the way for TNN to call itself Spike TV. "As an artist and a filmmaker," Lee said in a statement, "I feel that protection of freedom of expression is a critical value and I am concerned that my efforts to stop Viacom from using the Spike TV name could have the unintended consequence of threatening the First Amendment rights of Viacom and others."
07-08-03, 06:28 PM
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Originally posted by scott27
What part of that implies that money was exchanged between the 2 parties?
What part of that implies that money was exchanged between the 2 parties?
When I hear the word Settled out of court, it means TO ME that some ground was covered and the party being sued gave or offered something to the party sueing to drop the case.
Viacom has not stated how it was resolved other then it was settled out of court.
So what was the deal? since I assume if the case was dropped they would have said that instead of settled.