Movie Studios Can Be Sued for Releasing Deceptive Trailers, Judge Rules

[Tsing]

Movie studios can be sued under false advertising laws if they release deceptive movie trailers, according to U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson, who issued a ruling on Tuesday regarding the case in which Ana de Armas fans sued Universal for cutting the 34-year-old actress out of Yesterday, Danny Boyle's 2019 feature about a world without the Beatles, alleging deceptive marketing after realizing that she was in the trailer but completely absent from the final version of the film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 4, 2019.

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[Ditchinit]

Step 1: Movie trailers.

Step 2: Game ads and trailers (I'm looking at you Google Play Store).

 

[Brian_B]

Makes me think of those old CP2077/Witcher (among other) controversies where the early game trailers had graphics features that didn't make it into the final game.

 

[Uvilla]

Thats definite sue worthy. No all deceptions are created equally, and this one is certainty a lot less equal.

 

[SmokeRngs]

As much as I hate deceptive marketing this is something which can get out of control really fast if there are no limits put in place. I understand the ruling in this specific case and it's obviously pure deception since the trailer includes someone who wasn't in the completed movie.

 

[Brian_B]

I’m of two minds about this

On one hand - you can’t label your corn flakes as “organic” if they aren’t. You can’t call your polyester underwear “all natural”.

On the other - every game and movie trailer from now on will have a “This is pre-release footage and may not be indicative of final release” label somewhere and they can continue doing whatever they want.

I prefer the lawyer who is reading a mile of disclaimers and they speed the voice up to barely legible levels that they play at the end of the cheaper pharmaceutical commercials.

 

[Zarathustra]

That's fine, but what are the damages?

Your $10 movie ticket, some concessions and 2 hours of your time?

Are you going to pay a lawyer $300 an hour for a lawsuit that will go on for months or years to get back at most ~$100?

Makes no sense.

 

[Brian_B]

That's fine, but what are the damages?

Your $10 movie ticket, some concessions and 2 hours of your time?

Are you going to pay a lawyer $300 an hour for a lawsuit that will go on for months or years to get back at most ~$100?

Makes no sense.

You probably wouldn't as an individual.

But as a lawyer, you get a few movie theaters full of people who are pissed enough to sign on, or an actor/actress pushing for some damages or wrongful termination something or another... and you can start talking some money.