Just weeks after settling one lawsuit, Harper Lee is heading to court again, alleging that the Monroe County Heritage Museum in her Alabama hometown is exploiting her trademark and personality rights, the Hollywood Reporter wrote.
According to the complaint, "the town's desire to capitalize upon the fame of To Kill a Mockingbird is unmistakable: Monroeville's town logo features an image of a mockingbird and the cupola of the Old County Courthouse, which was the setting for the dramatic trial in To Kill a Mockingbird." The museum is reported to have generated more than $500,000 in revenue in 2011, and Lee objects to claims made in IRS documents that its mission is "historical," THR reported.
"Its actual work does not touch upon history," the lawsuit states. "Rather, its primary mission is to trade upon the fictional story, settings and characters that Harper Lee created in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Harper Lee's own renown as one of the nation's most celebrated authors.... Historical facts belong to the world, but fiction and trademarks are protected by law."
"I have not read it and not been served," said Stephanie Rogers, the museum's executive director. "The museum has been doing what we always have done. We honor her here. We don't sell anything with her name. We sell memorabilia to those who come to see a production of To Kill a Mockingbird that we secure dramatic rights to. Everything we do is above board. I'm shocked by this."
