‘Sopranos’ Take Shot at Ad in Court
The Sopranos have put a legal hit on Best Buy Co.
Actors playing America’s favorite dysfunctional gangsters are suing the Minnesota-based electronics chain in Los Angeles County Superior Court for allegedly misappropriating their likenesses in a newspaper ad supplement last year.
Best Buy representatives could not be reached for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Best Buy ran an ad in an insert in The Times and other newspapers in February 2002 offering consumers a $25 gift card, three free months of HBO and Cinemax and a DirecTV satellite dish system for $49.99 after a mail-in rebate.
The background of the ad featured a publicity picture of the cast of the HBO show standing on the New Jersey boardwalk.
“Call the Boys. Tell ‘em I got a sweet deal for ‘em. But it ain’t gonna last long. They got all the shows a guy wants, plus ‘The Sopranos.’ What, you got a problem with that?” the ad reads.
Eight of the cast members shown in the ad sued in separate actions. Plaintiffs are James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Steve Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
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