# Spike Lee thinks a wee bit too much of his fame **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629 "2003-06-04T16:24:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/41 "2003-06-07T07:59:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Deee-lite singer Lady Miss Kier has sued Sega, alleging that they ripped off her trademark look, moves, and even catch phrase (“ooh-la-la”) with the Space Channel 5 series. She says that its character, Ulala, looks and moves way to much like her. Evidently, Sega even approached her about basing the character on her early on. Ouch. I’ve never actually played any of the Space Channel 5 games but when I saw they advertised on TV I thought “That looks like the chick from Dee-lite.” Marc ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/42 "2003-06-07T15:07:18Z")
If Viacom wants to keep the name, they can just claim they named it after the dog from _Rugrats_, which they own. Why anyone would want to name a network after a dog, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/43 "2003-06-07T16:09:02Z")
MGibson writes: \> Evidently, Sega even approached her about basing the \> character on her early on. This brings up an important point. If you have ever discussed using a name or a character with the owner of a trademark, forget about claiming that there was only an accidental association with the trademark. If the owner of the trademark can show that you had any sort of discussions among yourselves in which you talked about the similarities to the trademarked character or name, forget about claiming that it was only an accidental similarity. The obvious example was McDonalds stealing characters for its commercials from HR Pufnstuf. They had discussed using the HR Pufnstuf characters with the company that owned them and then suddenly dropped out of negotiations. When they later started using characters who looked a lot like HR Pufnstuf’s, of course there was a good case that McDonalds had stolen them from HR Pufnstuf. But I don’t know that there’s any evidence that TNN people were even thinking about the association of the name “Spike” with Spike Lee. ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/44 "2003-06-07T16:29:03Z")
What? Spike Lee still has a career and is recognized by the media? I thought he was shot and killed in Vegas or something. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/45 "2003-06-07T19:01:01Z")
According to the news story in the link in the OP: \> According to Lee, TNN’s president, Albie Hecht, has said the \> public associates the name ‘Spike’ with Lee. This sounds absurd to me, but if Spike Lee could prove this, he would have a very good case. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/46 "2003-06-07T23:33:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Justin\_Bailey \* > \*\*Much like Microsoft does not own the copyright to Windows, Spike Lee does not own the copyright to Spike. > > A similar lawsuit happened a few years ago when Sting got pissed that someone other than had registered [sting.com](http://sting.com). It was thrown because sting is a regular word that cannot be copyrighted. The same will happen here. \*\* Nope. The wrestler Sting trademarked the name before Summers got around doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/47 "2003-06-08T01:02:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*I think your uncle should sue someone for having to go through life with the name Franny. \*\* _snicker_ Well, actually, his real name is Francis. Franny is just his nickname. Besides, I doubt many people would make fun of him to his face. He’s HUGE and he’s got this really deep, gruff, grumbly voice. Funny as hell, too. Cool guy. As for Spike Lee-someone has a very inflated idea of his own importance. Good god, it’s “spike”. It’s not exactly an obscure word. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629/48 "2003-06-13T15:48:54Z")
Unfortunately according to [this](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=597&ncid=772&e=4&u=/nm/20030613/tv_nm/television_spike_dc), some soft-hearted (and soft-headed) judge has issued a temporary injuction against TNN. > [@](#): > > In granting the injunction, Justice Walter Tolub described Lee’s legal action as an “earnest attempt by a prominent personality to limit what he regards as the commercial exploitation of his public persona.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-lee-thinks-a-wee-bit-too-much-of-his-fame/179629.md?page=2)