High Profile Lawsuits - The Ultimate Publicity

You stole my mascot. You're using my name without permission. Your slogan is false advertising.

Lawsuits are quite common these days. But in the advertising industry, they can be a powerful promotional tool.

Take a look at some of the lawsuits that have brought more promotion through the legal system than they could've bought from advertising media:

The Ten Commandments Lawsuit
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore created a national media frenzy when he defied a court order to remove the Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building in Montgomery, Alabama. Many experts say Moore's stance against the removal put him in a prime position in political venues.

In Alabama, the position of Chief Justice is an elected one, not an appointed one. Voters elected Moore into office in 2000 on the political platform of bringing the Ten Commandments into the judicial building. A CNN-USA Today Gallop poll showed 77 percent out of 1,009 Americans that participated in the poll felt the removal of the monument was wrong.

The entire case made Moore a national headline. The exposure and the large amount of support for the Ten Commandments could give him an edge in the political arena.

Fox News Sues Al Franken
Don't say "Fair and Balanced" around Fox News Channel (FNC). Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken became the target of a lawsuit after Fox News said the title infringed on Fox's registered trademark of "fair and balanced." Fox also claims the cover of Franken's book closely resembles FNC journalist Bill O'Reilly's book, The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life.

The lawsuit attempted to block the release of Franken's book. However, a judge called the lawsuit "wholly without merit" and dismissed the case. The lawsuit caused a wave of publicity and Penguin Putnam's Dutton imprint even released the book ahead of schedule to capitalize on the increased exposure.

Ruben Studdard Vs. 205 Flava
American Idol 2 winner Ruben Studdard has filed a lawsuit against 205 Flava, the maker of the 205 jerseys Studdard wore on his journey to Idol winner. Studdard says the company made money off of his image illegally, roughly totaling $2 million. 205 Flava says it has copies of checks made out to Studdard but his attorneys say the checks were for previous sales, not the sales they're suing for now.

This case actually benefits both parties. The lawsuit sparked another round of interviews for Studdard and increased his exposure in print, television and radio mediums. For 205 Flava, more exposure of the company's products, especially if 205 Flava follows through with the countersuit they've talked about.