Constitutional Law

Buzz Aldrin sues trading-card company Topps

By By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES ? Former lunar astronaut Buzz Aldrin is not over the moon about the use of his photo on a series of trading cards.

The 80-year-old Aldrin sued Topps Inc. this week in federal court in Los Angeles, saying the company had unfairly profited from his historic achievement when they used an iconic photograph of Aldrin standing on the moon in a series of "American Heroes" trading cards.

Topps attorney Michael Kahn told the Los Angeles Times that the firm had a First Amendment right to include a factual description of the Apollo 11 mission and it included an image of Aldrin in his lunar suit because he is "an American hero."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and an order prohibiting Topps from marketing the cards.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on December 30, 2010 (boomark / email).