Godfather of all lawsuits

Hollywood legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are teaming up in a lawsuit against a movie distributor and a watch company they say used their likenesses without permission.

In papers filed in a New York court yesterday, the two Oscar-winning actors sought unspecified damages, saying they had never authorized a commercial tie-in between Tutima watches and their recent movie Righteous Kill.

The movie was distributed by Overture Films, which is a co-defendant with Tutima.

In a statement, Overture said: "We are surprised by this action as Overture Films has not received any communication on this matter for months from Pacino, De Niro or their representatives. We take lawsuits very seriously and our legal team is addressing the issue."

The lawsuit said Overture entered into a commercial tie-in with Tutima and advertised their watches using De Niro's and Pacino's names, voices and likenesses without their consent.

"Had their permission been sought, both De Niro and Pacino would have flatly refused to consent to the use of their names, voices and/or likenesses in connection with the tie-in," the lawsuit said.

It said Pacino had never commercially endorsed any product or service in the United States, while De Niro had only done so under very "specific and compelling circumstances".

The two New York-born actors have appeared together in several movies since first co-starring in The Godfather: Part II in 1976