Andy Griffith sues Andy Griffith

Andy Griffith sues candidate 'Andy Griffith'
By COLIN FLY
Associated Press
Posted: Nov. 10, 2006

Forget the small-town belief in letting bygones be bygones.

Television's "sheriff" of fictional Mayberry, N.C., has sued a Wisconsin man who ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in Grant County after legally changing his name to Andrew Jackson Griffith.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 3 in U.S. District Court in Madison, alleges that William Harold Fenrick, 42, violated trademark and copyright laws as well as the privacy of actor Andy Samuel Griffith when he used his new name to promote his candidacy.

The lawsuit says the former Fenrick changed his name for the "sole purpose of taking advantage of Griffith's notoriety in an attempt to gain votes" and asks the court to order Fenrick to reassume his original name.

The suit asks Fenrick to publish disclaimers and an apology in Grant County newspapers, saying he has no association with the actor. It seeks unspecified damages and court fees.

"Now that the election is over, if Fenrick is willing in some fashion to clear the record, we probably could find a way to resolve it," said Griffith's lawyer, Jim Cole.

Fenrick protested that he did not benefit from the name change.

"During this campaign, I never sold or profited even one nickel from the use of the name Andy Griffith or any item bearing the name Andy Griffith - everything was a promotional item, and everything was given away for free," he said.

The Platteville music store co-owner said he spent $5,000 on his failed campaign. He came in third place, running as an independent. He described the suit as "incredibly absurd" and said he does not believe the public is "so brain dead" that they might actually believe he is the famous actor.

Griffith, 80, is best known for starring in "The Andy Griffith Show," a 1960s show that remains one of the most popular series in TV history.

"For such an American icon, it's a pretty un-American thing to do to me," Fenrick said.

 

Andy Griffith is still alive?

 

He's fought off dysentery for decades.

 

Besides, the guy should have changed his name to Andy Taylor.

 

Throwing Don Knotts under the dysentery bus has given him a couple more years, methinks.

 

You gotta nip it in the bud. Nip it! Nip it! Nip it! Nip it! You go read any book you want on the subject of trademark and copyright law and you'll find every one of them is in favor of bud-nipping.

 

Ohhhhhhhh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to infringe and violate copyrights.

 

Word.

 

If the fake Andy winds up in jail, at least Aunt Bee will bring him a picnic basket of fried chicken and homemade lemonade.

 

All I know is there's a whole bunch of people at the old folks home who would go apeshit if someone stole the name Benjamin Matlock. (and according to this picture they'd be speaking German)