Big-Name Singer Vs. No-Name Painter ; It’s the Battle of the Keith Urbans
By PETER J. SAMPSON, STAFF WRITER
Country star Keith Urban is singing the blues over a Passaic County artist who happens to share his name, if not his talents.
A federal lawsuit filed by the singer claims Keith D. Urban, 37, of Wayne is using the Internet to unlawfully capitalize on the popular performer’s fame.
On Tuesday, a site belonging to the local painter displayed links to the singer’s official MySpace page, as well as ticket outlets for his upcoming concert tour. Urban, the singer, contends his namesake is misleading people into thinking the Web site belongs to him and is illegally profiting from the confusion.
“You have reached the site of Keith Urban. To those who don’t know, oil painting is one of my hobbies,” says the site essentially a splash page with a couple of links and advertisements.
It then invites viewers to enter a “virtual gallery” of paintings where “a very limited edition” of autographed prints is available for sale.
Paul Freundlich, the 39-year-old singer’s New York publicist, said the painter had been contacted in the past and asked to stop.
“This has been ongoing and we felt that we had no choice at this point,” Freundlich said.
The painter didn’t respond to an e-mail sent Tuesday through his Web site seeking comment. A young man who answered the door at Urban’s North Road home in Wayne said he knew nothing about the suit, then declined further comment.
The lawsuit specifically accuses Urban of infringing on the recording artist’s name and celebrity. It also alleges dilution of a federally registered trademark, unfair competition and violation of both the federal anti-cybersquatting consumer protection act and the Tennessee consumer protection act.
It seeks unspecified monetary damages, as well as the transfer of the domain name, and an injunction barring the painter from operating a Web site that suggests any relationship to the singer.
Urban, whose hits include “Stupid Boy” and “Making Memories of Us,” married actress Nicole Kidman last year. He is touring the world this spring for his latest album, “Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing.”
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E-mail: sampson@northjersey.com
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