Lee Shows No Enmity in Wake of Spike TV Rift

After squabbling for weeks with Viacom Inc. over plans to rename its TNN cable network Spike TV, filmmaker Spike Lee said he looked forward to working with the entertainment giant.

“I no longer believe that Viacom deliberately intended to trade on my name when naming Spike TV,” Lee said in the statement, which was released as his lawyer, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., and Viacom attorney David Boies finalized a settlement. Lee added in the statement that he was “pleased to be able to resolve this matter and be able to work with Viacom on new projects.”

Lee filed suit against Viacom last month alleging that the company was exploiting his name to attract viewers to its male-oriented programming. Viacom argued that Spike TV had no connection to the director and said it lost nearly $17 million when it had to revamp the channel’s new advertising campaign pending a court ruling.

Lee formally dropped his lawsuit Tuesday, allowing Viacom’s TNN cable network to go ahead with its planned name change.

No money changed hands in the settlement, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity. Viacom also did not reach any new filmmaking deals with Lee, the source said.

Boies and Cochran said the basic terms of the deal were set Thursday, just before a noon deadline for Lee to post an additional $2-million bond with the court – money that the director of “Malcolm X” and other films could have forfeited if he’d lost the lawsuit.