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Coming to a court near you: Movie previews
July 24, 2001
New Line has been recalling posters, commercials and even online links to the trailer for its upcoming film "Austin Powers in Goldmember" after an industry panel determined the title infringed on copyrights held by MGM, the home of the long-running James Bond spymaster series.
"We are currently in arbitration process and trying to resolve this matter under (Motion Picture Association of America) guidelines," said a New Line Cinema representative. "Until that time we'll be referring to the film as the third installment of 'Austin Powers.'"
The film's original title was a spoof on the 1964 film "Goldfinger," starring Sean Connery as the man of mystery.
Already, the official "Austin Powers" trailer site hosted by Apple.com has been taken down, left with a message reading, "The page you tried was not found." The trailer featured a re-enactment of the opening musical sequence from the first film in the series, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," that features a band of midgets led by the infamous character Mini Me.
Other major Web sites have cut the promotion as well. A search on Yahoo's movie site turned up empty, while smaller fan sites such as Countingdown.com linked to Apple Computer's official site.
However, some sites continue to run trailers of the film. Walt Disney's Movies.com, for instance, has a link to the movie's trailer that can be played through Apple's QuickTime or RealNetworks' technology.
A representative for New Line's online promotions was not immediately available for comment.
