EX-JERSEY BOYS STARS COUNTERSUE VALLI
Singer FRANKIE VALLI has been slapped with a countersuit from former cast members of Broadway hit JERSEY BOYS after he accused the actors of copyr ight infringement for performing THE FOUR SEASONS’ songs on tour.
Valli, the frontman of The Four Seasons, took legal action against form er Jersey Boys stars Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard an d J. Robert Spencer in April (10), claiming they were illegally using ele ments of the band’s musical in their own show The Boys in Concert.
His bandmate Robert Gaudio and playwrights Marshall Brickman and Rick E lice were also named as plaintiffs in Valli’s court papers, which alleged The Boys in Concert stole songs, stage elements and copyrighted logos to trick ticketholders into thinking the touring group was an "authorised r oad company" of the long-running theatre production.
Valli demanded $150,000 (=C2=A3100,000) compensation for each of the 10 songs performed in The Boys in Concert show, in addition to all of its p rofits and damages for unfair competition and copyright infringement.
But the four actors are ready to challenge the accusations in court and have filed a countersuit, insisting they are entitled to sing the Four S easons tracks as part of a medley of hits from the same era.
The group’s attorney, Howard Weller, says, "These four incredibly talen ted men have earned the legal right, through years of toil and artistic e ffort, to tell audiences of the historically accurate fact that they were stars in Jersey Boys.
"They sing songs from the 1960s that include some Four Seasons hits, an d that doesn’t duplicate Jersey Boys anymore than John Coltrane’s renditi on of My Favorite Things copied The Sound of Music." The former Jersey Boys stars claim Valli’s team also intimidated the se ssion musicians on The Boys In Concert tour and disrupted the quartet’s b usiness with gig promoters. They are countersuing for at least $1 million (=C2=A3666,670) in damages for tortuous interference, according to the H ollywood Reporter.
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
