Jerry Lambert, the actor known for portraying Sony’s PlayStation VP of Everything, “Kevin Butler,” during a successful advertising run for the brand’s products, has settled a lawsuit with the company over his appearance in a Bridgestone commercial that promoted the Nintendo Wii.
The commercial showed Lambert playing Mario Kart Wii for the console and aired nationwide on major networks. Sony soon after filed the lawsuit, claiming that Bridgestone had used the Butler character in a manner that infringed on the company’s intellectual property.
Though the suit with Bridgestone is still being fought out in court, Sony was able to settle with Lambert and get the actor to acknowledge that his contract with the gaming giant precluded him from promoting or endorsing competing game systems. Lambert has also acknowledged that the commercial, at the very least, caused confusion amongst viewers who could have thought that he was portraying Butler in both the PlayStation and Bridgestone commercials.
This settlement comes with a punishment regarding Lambert. The actor will be forbidden to appear in any ad or promotion that features or even mentions “any other video game or computer entertainment system or video game company” for the next two years.
Lambert will also need Sony’s permission to portray Butler in the future, as the company owns the rights to the character. For the first two years after he once again becomes eligible to appear in gaming ads, Lambert must give Sony notice and provide the company with enough details so it ““can assess whether or not Lambert’s intended performance violates [Sony’s] rights in the Kevin Butler character.”
Since the settlement regards the promotion of “other” video game companies and hardware, it’s possible that Sony could still use Lambert for more Butler PlayStation commercials. Whether or not the company actually will in the wake of this ugly incident is yet to be determined. Lambert’s run with the character prior to the Bridgestone commercial spanned approximately 30 commercials and lasted over two years.
What do you think of the settlement? Do you still want to see Sony use Lambert as PlayStation’s VP of Everything? Let us know in the comments section below!
