.

Cash Sues Urban Outfitters

Claims T-shirt constitutes misappropriation of right of publicity

By 
April 26, 2001 12:00 AM ET

Johnny Cash and renowned rock photographer Jim Marshall filed a joint lawsuit against Urban Outfitters, Inc. in a San Francisco court on Tuesday, citing "wrongful, oppressive and malicious conduct." Marshall is charging the clothing retailer with copyright infringement of his famous 1969 photograph of Cash sneering and holding up his middle finger (snapped at a sound check at San Quentin prison) on a T-shirt without having secured permission. Cash is charging misappropriation of right of publicity for the use of his image.

The T-shirt -- which reads "American by birth, Southern by the Grace of God" -- has been sold at Urban Outfitters throughout the country. The suit contends that "Cash has been damaged and defendants [Urban Outfitters] have been unjustly enriched" by the shirt's creation and sale, and that "Marshall, nor anyone authorized by him, has at any time licensed defendants to reproduce, advertise, distribute, sell, exhibit, or otherwise deal in the copyrighted work [the photo]."

Cash and Marshall seek statutory damages, defendant's profits, attorney's fees and punitive damages.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

prev
Remembering Joey Ramone
Music Main Next
System Talk New Album

Picks From Around the Web


blog comments powered by Disqus

Featured News From vulture vulture

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
marketing partners.

X

We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

Most Popular

Photos & Videos

Go To Content

Random Notes: Hottest Rock Pictures

Go To Content Play Video

Video: Metallica, 'Hit the Lights' Live at Orion

Go To Content

Gallery: Readers' Poll: The 10 Greatest Rock & Roll Rebels

Best Ever Lists
500 Greatest Songs of All Time

Other Lists

Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »