Dallas, Texas, Apr 25, 2008 / 18:50 pm
Yoko Ono, the widow of Beatles singer and songwriter John Lennon, has with several others filed several lawsuits challenging the use and critique of Lennon’s song “Imagine” in the documentary “Expelled.” One lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction that, the film’s producers claim, could remove the film from theaters.
Ono's lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Manhattan, accuses the producers of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" of suggesting to viewers that those who oversee John Lennon's legacy somehow authorized or endorse the film, which led the blogosphere to accuse her of "selling out."
“Expelled,” which features political and economics commentator Ben Stein, claims that scientists who are skeptical of some aspects of evolutionary theory have been suppressed by the academic establishment.
Premise Media, which produced the film, did not pursue a license to use the Lennon song and claims it did not need to do so.