gonzo
10-24-2007, 03:44 PM
Violet Blue, the well-known sex and sexuality writer and blogger, filed suit this week against Violet Blue, the nom de plume of a porn performer, alleging that Ada Mae Johnson adopted the writer's name and distinctive black, Bettie Page bangs for performances in films such as Shut Up and Blow Me #29, Whore of the Rings and Who Violet Blew.
Journalist Violet Blue, whose actual name appears to be Violet Blue (pictured right), filed suit in a San Francisco federal court Monday, accusing Johnson of trademark violation and dilution, as well as unfair business practices. Blue wants the court to stop Johnson from using her name and to force her to pay Blue damages.
Journalist Blue writes a sex-focused column for SFGate, blogs at tinynibbles.com (http://tinynibbles.com/) and was recently named (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/Forbes%20recently%20named%20as) one of the 25 most influential people on the web by Forbes magazine. She's also written and edited more than 15 books, ranging (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/104-8471530-2139907?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Violet%20Blue) from Best Women's Erotica 2008 to the Ultimate Guide to Fellatio.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/violetblueactress.jpgViolet Blue the porn actress (pictured with both blond and black hair left) began making porn films in 2000, and won the emerging starlet awards from adult film industry trade mag AVN in 2002, according to the bio on her site.
The porn actress registered violetblue.org in 2001, and four years later, founded Violet Blue, Inc, which now runs the paid-subscription pornographic website on that domain, according to the lawsuit. An email request for comment sent to the Whois contact information for violetblue.org immediately bounced, and no one immediately replied to a voice message left for the company.
Blue the journalist says Johnson's movies and her appearance at San Francisco's Annual Exotic Erotic Ball under the name Violet Blue have damaged her reputation and caused journalists and others to confuse her for the porn actress.
Even the porn industry got confused, Blue the journalist contends. In October 2007, she got an email from "Dave Pounder," a person who has perfomed in films with Johnson, through SFGate's feedback mechanism, congratulating her on her column.
The email begins "What's up, girl! I see you are writing for SFGatge.com now.... very interesting." It continues with the plainly mistaken belief that Plaintiff Blue is in fact Defendant Johnson: "I'll never forget you because you were my first scene ever..."
Plaintiff Blue has never met nor appeared in any film with "Dave Pounder."
Johnson has repeatedly told Blue she would quit using the name, but has not stopped, according to the suit.
Blue the journalist says she has been using the name Violet Blue in her writings since 1999, and she registered "Violet Blue" as a trademark (http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=n6jvej.2.2) in March, 2007.
Photos: Right- Journalist Violet Blue by Joi Ito (http://joi.ito.com/); Left: Screenshot of porn thespian Violet Blue from violetblue.org.
read more (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/)
Journalist Violet Blue, whose actual name appears to be Violet Blue (pictured right), filed suit in a San Francisco federal court Monday, accusing Johnson of trademark violation and dilution, as well as unfair business practices. Blue wants the court to stop Johnson from using her name and to force her to pay Blue damages.
Journalist Blue writes a sex-focused column for SFGate, blogs at tinynibbles.com (http://tinynibbles.com/) and was recently named (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/Forbes%20recently%20named%20as) one of the 25 most influential people on the web by Forbes magazine. She's also written and edited more than 15 books, ranging (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/104-8471530-2139907?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Violet%20Blue) from Best Women's Erotica 2008 to the Ultimate Guide to Fellatio.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/violetblueactress.jpgViolet Blue the porn actress (pictured with both blond and black hair left) began making porn films in 2000, and won the emerging starlet awards from adult film industry trade mag AVN in 2002, according to the bio on her site.
The porn actress registered violetblue.org in 2001, and four years later, founded Violet Blue, Inc, which now runs the paid-subscription pornographic website on that domain, according to the lawsuit. An email request for comment sent to the Whois contact information for violetblue.org immediately bounced, and no one immediately replied to a voice message left for the company.
Blue the journalist says Johnson's movies and her appearance at San Francisco's Annual Exotic Erotic Ball under the name Violet Blue have damaged her reputation and caused journalists and others to confuse her for the porn actress.
Even the porn industry got confused, Blue the journalist contends. In October 2007, she got an email from "Dave Pounder," a person who has perfomed in films with Johnson, through SFGate's feedback mechanism, congratulating her on her column.
The email begins "What's up, girl! I see you are writing for SFGatge.com now.... very interesting." It continues with the plainly mistaken belief that Plaintiff Blue is in fact Defendant Johnson: "I'll never forget you because you were my first scene ever..."
Plaintiff Blue has never met nor appeared in any film with "Dave Pounder."
Johnson has repeatedly told Blue she would quit using the name, but has not stopped, according to the suit.
Blue the journalist says she has been using the name Violet Blue in her writings since 1999, and she registered "Violet Blue" as a trademark (http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=n6jvej.2.2) in March, 2007.
Photos: Right- Journalist Violet Blue by Joi Ito (http://joi.ito.com/); Left: Screenshot of porn thespian Violet Blue from violetblue.org.
read more (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/)