Headlines

Jeweler Thinks Better of Suing Julia Roberts for Using His Slogan in Upcoming Movie

Published

8 years ago

April 27, 2016

INSTORE Staff

It seems the producers pulled it out of his commercial.

When Don Hoffman, the owner of Airport Plaza Jewelers, discovered that his copyrighted slogan was being used in an upcoming movie called “Mother’s Day” starring Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston, he wondered if he had any legal recourse, as Buffalo Business First explains. The article describes a 30-second TV ad promoting the movie, “where Roberts plays a pitch person for a jewelry home shopping network, shows her holding a mannequin’s arm loaded with jewelry while saying ‘it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.’” – a phrase that’s very similar to one used in a television ad campaign that Hoffman created in 2003.

Hoffman, the article says, asked a local intellectual property attorney if there was any legal action he could take, and the attorney determined that he didn’t have enough cause to file a lawsuit. “I’ve been successful as a jeweler, but I didn’t think I’d have enough resources to take on Hollywood producers and some if its biggest stars,” he said. “Somehow I don’t think Julia Roberts would be losing sleep.” He could, however, collect licensing fees from other jewelers who used the phrase in their advertising, the attorney says.

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair. Why Run Your Own Retirement Sale?

After being in business for over a quarter of a century, Wayne Reid, owner of Wayne Jewelers in Wayne, Pennsylvania, decided it was time for a little “me time.” He says, “I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to slow down, enjoy a lot of things outside of the jewelry industry. It just seemed to be the right time.” He chose Wilkerson to handle his retirement sale because of their reputation and results. With financial goals exceeded, Reid says he made the right choice selecting Wilkerson to handle the sale. “They made every effort to push our jewelry to the forefront of the showcases,” he says, lauding Wilkerson for their finesse and expertise. Would he recommend them to other jewelers who want to make room for new merchandise, expand their business or like him, decide to call it a day? Absolutely he says, equating trying to do this kind of sale with cutting your own hair. “The results are going to happen but not as well as if you have a professional like Wilkerson do the job for you.”