Woody Allen’s image not free for the taking

Director Woody Allen’s case against American Apparel Inc. won’t be going to court after all. The clothier has agreed to pay Allen US$5 million for using his image on billboards in New York and Los Angeles without his permission. Allen was initially seeking more than $10 million over the appearance of ads featuring images from “Annie Hall,” which show the director dressed up as a rabbi. According to Allen, the settlement is the “largest reported amount ever paid under the New York right to privacy law,” but American Apparel founder Dov Charney remains unremorseful. “I am not sorry for expressing myself,” he said.

The New York Times