Arent Fox And Girardi | Keese File Complaint Against Topps Company, Inc. on Behalf of Buzz Aldrin

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert C. O'Brien of Arent Fox and Tom Girardi and Stephen Larson of Girardi | Keese, co-counsel for Dr. Buzz Aldrin and StarBuzz LLC, filed a complaint against Topps Company, Inc. in the Central District of California on December 27, 2010.  The suit was filed as a last resort after Topps repeatedly refused to refrain from using Dr. Aldrin's name, image or signature without his consent, or to compensate him for such unauthorized use. 

In 2009, as part of the "Topps American Heritage:  American Heroes Edition," Topps featured a photograph of Dr. Aldrin taken on the moon's surface with the Eagle lunar landing module and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong mirrored in Dr. Aldrin's gold-plated astronaut visor, on the top of the trading card box, on the packaging of each trading card package, as well as on the inset of the box's lid.  Dr. Aldrin's name and signature were also used on the front and back of the "Heroes of Spaceflight" trading card as well as his name on the card commemorating the 1966 Gemini XII mission. 

This exploitation was without any grant of rights or license by Dr. Aldrin, despite the fact that Topps appeared to have procured the intellectual property rights for images of other personalities, such as Mickey Mantle, who are prominently displayed next to Dr. Aldrin on the packaging of the same Topps products. 

Dr. Aldrin has been represented for over 12 years by Robert C. O'Brien, managing partner of Arent Fox LLP, Los Angeles, who has handled hundreds of infringement matters.  Stephen Larson, a partner at Girardi | Keese, is a former U.S. District Judge in the Central District of California with extensive intellectual property experience and also represents Dr. Aldrin on various commercial matters.

About Arent Fox:

Arent Fox LLP (www.arentfox.com), with offices in Los Angeles, Washington, DC and New York City is a recognized leader in areas including intellectual property, real estate, telecommunications, health care, automotive, sports, white collar, international trade, bankruptcy, and complex litigation. With more than 350 lawyers nationwide, Arent Fox has extensive experience in corporate securities, financial restructuring, government relations, labor and employment, finance, tax, corporate compliance, and the global business market. The firm represents Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, trade associations, foreign governments and other entities.

About Girardi | Keese:

The law firm of Girardi | Keese (www.girardikeese.com ) has successfully recovered in excess of three billion dollars on behalf of their clients. Thomas V. Girardi has been proclaimed "The Billion Dollar Gentleman" by the Los Angeles Daily Journal for having achieved more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements over a two-year period.  

SOURCE Arent Fox LLP