In Los Angeles, two of the members of the 1960’s pop group “The Turtles” filed suit against Applebee’s International, Inc. for the company's parody of the group's 1967 hit “Happy Together.” According to this article from Reuters, the ads, in which the words to “Happy Together” are changed to “Imagine steak and shrimp, or shrimp and steak/ Imagine both of these on just one plate,” have compromised The Turtles' reputation. Applebee’s claims that it contacted the song's publisher for permission, but did not contact The Turtles, who own the master recording.
Posted by franchiselawblog at December 17, 2004 05:10 PM