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South Bronx Graffiti Crew Sues Over Jennifer Lopez Ad

Group says TV spot features mural without permission

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November 29, 2011 9:35 AM ET

Members of the graffiti art group, Tats Cru, attend the Art Auction to Benefit Downtown for Democracy at Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg in New York City
Teresa Lee/Getty Images

A television commercial for Fiat starring Jennifer Lopez has triggered a copyright dispute involving a Bronx-based graffiti crew whose work is featured prominently in the ad.

The commercial, titled "My World," features Lopez and a series of images intended to evoke the Bronx borough of New York, where she grew up, including a break dancer, a man drumming on an overturned pail and a colorful mural that reads "I Heart the Bronx." The muralists, TATS Cru, say the image is copyrighted and was used without permission. 

"That's enough," crew member Wilfredo Feliciano told the New York Times. "This has happened to us in the past, and it's not cool. We had to do something about it." Stacey Richman, the graffiti artists' lawyer, said that the advertising agency and Chrysler, a subsidiary of the Fiat group, have yet to respond. 

Related
• Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Announce Divorce
• Jennifer Lopez 'On the Fence' About 'American Idol' Return

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