John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, and his
sons are suing the filmmakers of "Expelled: No Intelligence
Allowed" for using the song "Imagine" in the documentary
without permission.
Lennon recorded the song in 1971 and in 2004, Rolling Stone
magazine ranked it No. 3, in their 500 Greatest Songs of All
Time, according to the lawsuit.
Yoko Ono, son, Sean Ono Lennon, and Julian Lennon, John
Lennon's son from his first marriage, along with privately held
publisher EMI Blackwood Music Inc filed suit in U.S. District
Court in Manhattan seeking to bar the filmmakers and their
distributors from continuing to use "Imagine" in the movie.
They are also seeking unspecified damages.
The documentary, which features Ben Stein, an actor,
comedian and former speechwriter for President Richard Nixon,
looks at alleged discrimination against scientists and teachers
who support so-called intelligent design as an alternative to
Darwin's theory of evolution.
The suit is against the film's producers and distributors:
Premise Media Corporation, C&S Production, LP and Rocky
Mountain Pictures.
The three companies did not respond to requests for
comment.
(Reporting by Leslie Gevirtz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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