Clint Eastwood win $2M in Trademark Infringement Suit Over Fake CBD Endorsement

Clint Eastwood, who was awarded $2 million by a jury for using his name and likeness to sell these CBD products has decided not to appeal the decision. He did say though that even though he will be receiving this money, it doesn't make up for the fact that people have been profiting off of him. The actor, whose most notable appearances were in "Good Fellas" movies, plans to donate all of his compensation to charity.

"The fact is hidden metatags were responsible for Google’s inaccurate display of the ‘sponsored link’ in its corresponding SERPs, effectively damaging Mr. Eastwood as he did not have any control over the manipulated marketing of his name,” reads a statement released on June 24th.

Eastwood is among a number of A-list actors in the CBD industry, whom all claim they were tricked into endorsing the product through years of false social media posts. The Hollywood veteran and star of movies, including where Eastwood’s likeness appears in ads for CBD products on TV, at shopping centers, and in magazines said in a lawsuit filed Thursday that he has no commercial affiliation with the cannabis industry.

According to a lawsuit, Eastwood alleged that Norok Innovation was illegally selling CBD products and trading on his celebrity to do so. They recruited him because they claimed they could generate traffic to their website through him, but proceeded to publish "fake tweets post" that redirected shoppers looking for his Twitter handle to the site. At first, it appeared as if Eastwood had tweeted about the company's merchandise, which he believed might be harmful. However, he found out exactly what it was when a friend of his tried some and actually ended up in the hospital for two weeks after suffering from seizures.
Mr. Eastwood, an actor of renown, is suing Amazon and eBay for their usage of his name in advertorials. He is filing a lawsuit against the retailers, claiming they have placed him up as a spokesperson for Cannabidiol (CBD) products without informing him or having his permission to do so.

U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney is an award-winning actor who will be playing the role of the judge in a new film about the lead character who wins a trademark infringement lawsuit against another brand. The character had earned only $2,900 and changed while representing Eastwood but was awarded $3 million by the U.S. District Court when he proved that there was unlawful behavior going on behind the scenes - it went to commercial gain on their part.

According to the judge, Eastwood has only done one other major commercial campaign for a television ad that aired during Super Bowl 2012 (recall). The commercial advertised the country’s recovery from the recession. He allegedly took a fee well below his market value of $2 million because he felt strongly about the commercial’s message.

“We are pleased with the Court’s ruling as it recognizes the substantial harm that false endorsements can cause,” said the actor’s attorney Jordan Susman. “It further sends a message to such offenders that they cannot evade liability by ignoring the legal system. This is a judgment we look forward to collecting.” Norok Innovation couldn’t be reached for comment.

In October, Eastwood was awarded $6.1 million in his other suit against Mediatonas UAB after a Lithuanian company published a fake interview with the actor to make it appear as though he was endorsing their products. Similarly, the judge granted default judgment in favor of Eastwood after the company failed to respond to the suit.

Actors, including Sandra Bullock and Ellen DeGeneres, have taken to court of late against those who misappropriate their names and likenesses to drive traffic to e-commerce sites.