Thursday, February 22, 2007

Perez Hilton Sued Over Topless Jennifer Aniston Pics

A Hollywood movie studio filed a lawsuit claiming gossip blogger Perez Hilton posted a stolen topless photograph of Jennifer Aniston on the Web.

Universal City Studios Productions LLLP filed the U.S. District Court copyright infringement suit Tuesday claiming Mario Lavandeira, who operates the www.perezhilton.com Internet site posted the stolen image.

The Aniston image was allegedly "misappropriated and illegally copied" during production or post-production of the 2006 romantic comedy hit The Break-Up, starring the actress and Vince Vaughn, the suit said.

The shot of Aniston, 38, was not included in the final version of the movie, which earned more than $118 million at the box office.

The lawsuit, claiming copyright infringement, said Lavandeira "posted all or or parts of the stolen footage from the motion picture on his website."

The suit seeks an injunction barring further distribution of the picture and requests a court order "directing the U.S. Marshal to seize" the copyrighted material from the 28-year-old blogger.

There was no response to an e-mail message to Lavandeira seeking comment on the suit.

The complaint demanded a jury trial and monetary damages to be determined by the court.

Last September, Aniston and celebrity photographer Peter Brandt settled a lawsuit regarding topless photos Brandt shot of the actress late last year.

"It's a confidential settlement," Aniston attorney Jay Lavely said, adding, "The matter was amicably resolved."

Aniston had sued Brandt in December 2005, claiming he invaded her privacy by using a telephoto lens to photograph her inside her home when she was topless or partly dressed.

She alleged in the lawsuit that Brandt used "invasive, intrusive and unlawful measures" to capture the images. Brandt said he took the photos while standing on a public street about 300 yards away from Aniston's home.

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