Justin Bieber Wants No Joustin' Beaver
February 26, 2012
Justin Bieber's lawyers are not too happy with a certain app in the App Store.
According to a report on TMZ, it has come to the attention of the teen pop star's legal counsel that a recently released iOS game is essentially built around a character that apparently uses their client's celebrity image. Consequently, a cease and desist letter has been sent to the app developer, ordering the immediate removal of the app from the App Store. The app in question is called, funnily enough, Joustin' Beaver.
Released early this month, Joustin' Beaver features a buck-toothed rodent sporting Bieber's signature mop of hair. Making matters more Bieber-ly, the gameplay involves the titular character navigating the river of stardom and trying to oblige his eager fans with "Otter-graphs" while knocking out paparazzi-like "Phot-Hogs" with his lance.
Evidently, Bieber's lawyers refuse to acknowledge the game's parodic nature, which effectively makes it eligible for protection from copyright claims under the fair use doctrine. The cease and desist threatens legal action for the app's "direct and blatant infringement" of Bieber's "name, image, likeness, life story or identity." Making a rejoinder as amusing as the app's clever puns, RC3, the developer of the app, has this to say: "Nowhere in the game is Justin Bieber's name, photo, image, or life story mentioned. We were surprised to learn that in addition to being a talented musician, Mr. Bieber is also a fictional beaver."
Joustin' Beaver is (still) available in the App Store for only $0.99. If all goes well, we could probably look forward to an update that will introduce a new odious species to knock out: Legal Beagles.
