Jews for Jesus sued for curious use of chimp
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, September 5, 2001
Associated Press
NEW YORK — The publisher of Curious George children’s books doesn’t want Jews for Jesus monkeying around with its naughty little primate.
Houghton Mifflin filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday accusing the religious group of copyright infringement.
The suit claims Jews for Jesus stole the character — "an exuberant monkey beloved by generations of children and parents" — for pamphlets passed out to pedestrians in New York, Minneapolis and possibly elsewhere.
The "Are you Curious?" pamphlets depict a cartoon monkey reading the Bible. Readers are told, "You can’t find something if you’re not willing to search. Even a silly little monkey like George could figure that out!"
The suit seeks damages of at least $500,000 and an injunction barring Jews for Jesus from using Curious George.
Jews for Jesus spokeswoman Susan Perlman said the non-profit’s use of "pop culture parody" is protected by the First Amendment. The San Francisco-based group still is distributing the pamphlets, she added.
"We’re disappointed Houghton Mifflin doesn’t have a sense of humor," Perlman said. "We think perhaps we’ve been singled out in this lawsuit because our message is a minority message."
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