Britney involved in counterfeit lawsuit; takes "security" precautions

Luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton has won a lawsuit accusing Britney Spears of violating counterfeiting laws by showcasing a pink Vuitton-upholstered dashboard in a music video. A Paris civil court ordered Sony BMG and MTV Online to stop broadcasting or marketing the video for "Do Something" in any form and fined them each $117,000, a spokesperson for Louis Vuitton said Monday. The ruling was handed down last week. In the opening scenes of the clip, Spears appears in the driver's seat of a hot pink Hummer floating on make-believe clouds. One shot shows fingers drumming on a dashboard covered with what looks like Vuitton's Cherry Blossoms design: dark pink blossoms on a pale pink, weblike background, embossed with the LV logo. The court did not find Spears guilty but ruled Sony BMG and MTV Online were guilty of violating counterfeiting laws. The ruling said the video constituted an "attack" on Louis Vuitton's brands and its luxury image, according to the spokesperson. It was not immediately clear how the ban would be enforced or whether the companies would appeal.

In other Spears news... After Friday's hearing in which a judge ordered that Britney Spears is not allowed to drive with her children in the car, the popstar's lawyer has released a statement saying the decision to use a driver was one that Spears made to protect her kids. "Ms. Spears hopes that she and Mr. Federline will be able to reach an agreement as to all matters concerning their children," said Spears's attorney. "She hopes that by not commenting on court proceedings the media attention in those proceedings will subside, which she requests for the safety and well-being of the children." And, in a thinly veiled reference to recent incidents in which Spears ran over the feet of paparazzi, her lawyer added, "Recent aggressive actions by individuals who have followed her and blocked her access, with and without the children, have resulted in her decision to take certain security measures which she hopes will only be necessary temporarily, for the protection of the children. Ms. Spears is grateful for and appreciates the support and well wishes of the many, many people who have extended same."

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