Kim Kardashian has filed a lawsuit against Old Navy for allegedly hiring a Kim look-a-like to star in their commercials. According to Usa Today, she is convinced that they purposely used her doppelganger and is therefore taking legal action:The reality show starlet and model on Wednesday sued the clothing store and its parent company, Gap, in a Los Angeles federal court alleging their ads violated her publicity rights with ads that feature a woman who looks like her.
A video of a broadcast ad featuring a smiling, dark-haired woman who bears a resemblance to the real Kardashian has been viewed more than 2 million times on Old Navy’s YouTube channel.
Kardashian’s lawsuit says consumers may be confused by the ads and the model’s actual endorsements, which include her own clothing store and shoe line. A commercial, titled, “Super C-U-T-E,” began airing in February and Old Navy is still using some of the promotions, the lawsuit states.
Kardashian “has invested substantial time, energy, finances and entrepreneurial effort in developing her considerable professional and commercial achievements and success, as well as in developing her popularity, fame, and prominence in the public eye,” the lawsuit states.
Louise Callagy, a spokeswoman for San Francisco-based Gap said the company has not yet seen the case and had no comment.
Her lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and wants a federal judge to prevent Old Navy from using a Kardashian lookalike model in its ads again.
The model in the ads, Melissa Molinaro, is not named in the lawsuit. She expressed exasperation that the resemblance was being pointed out again. “Were (sic) still talking about this,” she posted on Twitter, noting the ad ran five months ago. “Some people have too much time on (their) hands.”
While there’s no doubt of a resemblance, do you think she’s taking it a bit far with this lawsuit? Will this start a new litigation trend amongst modern celebs? Speak on it!
