Joe Francis vs. Madonna In SuperBowl Showdown

This one didn't quite slip through the cracks, as it was lightly bandied about in the press. Still, a sleazy boob felon putting the squeeze on Madonna warrants a look-see:

Madonna's upcoming album features a track called "Girls Gone Wild," and the guy who created the teen-flasher video series of the same name is all wadded up about it:

This morning, a cease and desist letter was sent to Madonna, her management, NBC Sports, and the NFL from Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis's attorney. In the letter, attorney David Houston asserts that Madonna is infringing on his client's long-time trademark, Girls Gone Wild, without his permission.

Francis ended with, "Don't get me wrong, I'm a Madonna fan, but business is business. Maybe the Material Girl and I can work this out over drinks."

This particular disagreement was clearly solved without bloodshed, since "Girls Gone Wild" wasn't the track performed at halftime. But it remains to be seen whether Joe Francis will try to squeeze Madonna for the actual album release. Something tells me he will. My advice to Madonna is to enter an extremely costly legal battle, because the alternative is working something out with Joe Francis over drinks. Yecch. To avoid that waking nightmare, no price is too high.

http://thephoenix.com/boston/music/133908-weeks-neglected-press-releases/#ixzz1mfdDguiX