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Lennon Licensee Sues Yoko Ono
A man who claims to have designed and created projects based on John Lennon’s artwork is suing Yoko Ono, her company, Bag One Arts Inc., and affiliates for breach of contract, claiming Ono pushed him out of the deal and owes him more than $55,000.
Photo: AP Photo
Yoko Ono in front of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus that also acts as a mobile recording studio.
The lawsuit, filed by Larry Myerson in New York County Superior Court, alleges he spent two-and-a-half years creating and designing various Lennon merchandise items through a deal struck with Susan Valero of Signature Networks Inc., a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment, in 2007.
“The entire collection would be worthy of an Imagine section set up inside a store or sold online at The John Lennon Collection web store, featuring all products,” according to Courthouse News Service.
Myerson, who created New Co Products Corp. specifically for the venture, claims he previewed samples of his collection at an August 2008 trade show in Las Vegas with Valero’s verbal excitement regarding his work.
Meanwhile, he had also paid Valero $35,000 to license Malibu Beach Club clothing.
However, the lawsuit claims that after Myerson sent about $55,000 in fees, signed license agreements and fulfilled his end of the bargain, things changed.
He was informed by Bag One VP Lynn Clifford he had to fill out a licensee application for his company, Courthouse News said.
The complaint said the deal went south after Myerson was informed Ono wouldn’t sign the licensee agreements because his company hadn’t been in business for three years.
“Myerson received a letter from Live Nation defendants terminating any further negotiations, stating that Myerson was to destroy his materials, bear the costs and stating that they were keeping what he had given them,” the suit said, meaning the $55,000.
Myerson also claims the license was then granted to someone else.