Sony Settles Lawsuit With Kevin Butler

Sony recently settled a lawsuit showing that it is actually possible to own another person. In a way.

Last year, a dispute between Sony Computer Entertainment and Jerry Lambert (more commonly known as Kevin Butler) arose after Lambert appeared in a Bridgestone advertisement, playing with a Nintendo Wii console (although as a different character to Kevin Butler). Sony used Lambert as a fictional character which would push their advertising plans to the next level. The Kevin Butler character was very popular and used quite often, needless to say, Sony invested a lot of money into him.

With that in mind, it’s only obvious that confusion would arise when Lambert was seen playing with a Wii console in an advertisement.

Sony initiated legal action against Lambert, where it claimed misappropriation of its intellectual property (the Kevin Butler character) to sell a competitor’s product, as well as breach of contract.

The two parties then came to an agreement, whereby Lambert will not appear in any work that mentions another gaming system, company or game for two years. Thereafter, for another two year period, Lambert will need to furnish Sony with advance notice of any gaming work he does so that they can determine whether or not the performance will be considered an infringement of its rights to the Kevin Butler character.

And although Lambert was playing a different character in the Bridgestone advert, he does acknowledge that his appearance might have caused a bit of confusion.

So, that’s essentially how Sony owns a man’s life, when it comes to gaming and acting.

Name: Dean Oberholzer
Location: Cape Town
Position: Editor

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