LOS ANGELES - The owners of the classic '60s television series 'Route 66' are suing Penthouse Digital Media and Pulse Distribution over the recent porn movie of the same title.
Filed June 12 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the lawsuit claims that director Kelly Holland's adult feature infringes on the 'Route 66' TV show trademark in violation of the federal Lanham Act.
Attorneys for plaintiff Roxbury Entertainment sent a cease-and-desist letter to Penthouse and Pulse on May 12, demanding that the defendants immediately discontinue the manufacture and sale of the Route 66 porn video.
Penthouse refused to comply, arguing that the use of the title and the familiar highway logo on the DVD box was fair because it fit the theme of the story: "road-related adventures transpiring on or around Route 66."
"In fact, nothing could be further from the truth," the lawsuit states. "The content of defendants' pornographic DVD contains no 'story' or 'road-related adventure' transpiring on or around Route 66. Rather, the film is pure pornography with no more than a few seconds of dialogue (making no reference to Route 66 or adventure on the open road) preceding the oral and anal sex between and among various men and women."
The lawsuit calls for all copies of the DVD be pulled from the market and destroyed. Roxbury Entertainment also seeks punitive and compensatory damages and an injunction to prevent the porn companies from issuing further releases with the 'Route 66' title.
Roxbury Entertainment acquired the rights to 'Route 66' from executive producer Herbert Leonard in 2001.
