Conn. DJ Files Lawsuit Against MTV's Jersey Shore

Connecticut DJ Paul Lis has filed a lawsuit against the MTV's Jersey Shore and DJ Pauly D for infringing on his trademarked name.

A Connecticut DJ says MTV's hit show "Jersey Shore" is killing his four-decade old business.

DJ Paul Lis began his business in 1973 and says he has built his reputation as a family entertainer.

That all changed in 2009, Lis argues, when MTV's show Jersey Shore hit the airwaves with a DJ also named Pauly D in the cast.

In a lawsuit, Lis says says the confusion over their names has tainted his reputation.

“I’ve prided myself in being G-rated. Jersey shore is hardly family entertainment. The show is hurting my business. It’s ruining my reputation. I’ve even had death threats,” said Lis.

According to Lis’s attorney, Jose Rojas, it’s not the spelling that matters. The similarity in sounds between the two DJs’ names is what violates federal law. 

In February 2010, Rojas says that Pauly D attempted to place a patent on DJ Pauly D with the US Patent and Trademark Offices. He was unable to get the patent because Lis already had the patent on DJ Paulie and the names sound too familiar.

Rojas filed a cease and desist order against MTV to stop using the DJ’s name until the court system settles the dispute.
 

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