Judge Dismisses Gibson Guitar Corp.'s Lawsuit Against Viacom Over Nickelodeon UK's "SpongeBob SquarePants" Ukulele

The entertainment industry news website The Hollywood Reporter's 'Hollywood, Esq.' column, the intersection of entertainment and law, is reporting the Nickelodeon News that Viacom Inc., the parent company of the Nickelodeon brand, has gotten a judge to reject the initial version of a lawsuit over a "SpongeBob SquarePants Ukulele", a Ukulele designed on the popular Nickelodeon original animated series (Nicktoon) "SpongeBob SquarePants". The claims came from Gibson Guitar Corp., which asserted that the owner of the Nickelodeon TV network was promoting various products that infringed its trademark rights to the words and design of the "Flying V," its more than five-decade-old electric guitar known for its distinctive look. The judge decided that Gibson wasn't specific enough in making allegations against Viacom versus its U.K.-based licensee John Hornby Skewes & Co. However, the judge is allowing Gibson to amend its lawsuit complaint. You can find the Judge's ruling in full here on Scribd.