LOS ANGELES - If there's any actor who should be able to pick the name of his production company without getting into legal trouble, it's Gerard Butler, right?
Butler, after all, was briefly a lawyer before going on to star in "300," "Phantom of the Opera" and "Law Abiding Citizen."
But he's been sued for trademark infringement over the name of his production company.
Here's the beef: Butler and business partner Alan Siegel named their shingle Evil Twins. But there's another Hollywood company operating under the banner Evil Twin Prods.
According to the complaint, filed Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles, Evil Twin Prods was started by Kristen Armfield and Harri Mark in 1996.
They have a registered trademark on "Evil Twin." According to Evil Twin's website, the entity has worked on promotional TV spots for "High School Musical 3," "The Dark Knight," and Coldplay's last album.
The lawsuit claims that Butler and Siegel announced their Evil Twins Entertainment in March 2008. Ever since then, the first Evil Twins says there's been confusion in the marketplace and it has received correspondence and telephone calls intended for Butler's Evil Twins.
The complaint also says that Butler has been made aware of the controversy and posted a note on his website: "DO NOT contact other Evil Twins or Evil Twin companies listed in Los Angeles."
The current version of Butler's website only admonishes people that "there is no 'productions', 'films' or any other words in the title of" his company.
The plaintiff is demanding an injunction and either actual damages or $2 million in statutory damages for alleged unfair competition.
Reached for comment, Siegel laughed and told The Hollywood Reporter he has nothing to say at this time.
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