Velvets vs. Warhol

BANANA APPEAL: Legendary rock band The Velvet Underground have sued the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts today in a dispute over the "iconic" banana image from its historic debut album. Lou Reed and John Cale claim the foundation, established after the 1987 death of the famed pop artist, illegally licensed the logo for use on iPad cases and accessories as part of a “greedy” effort to exploit the "goodwill" generated by their influential combo. The Manhattan federal court filing accuses the foundation of trying to "deceive the public" into thinking the Velvets gave their "sponsorship or approval" to the products, which include a $149.95 shoulder bag and a $59.95 protective sleeve. Warhol, who served as the band's manager and producer, created the cover for its 1966 album The Velvet Underground and Nico using a banana image taken from "an advertisement in the public domain," court papers say. The artist even got a split of the band's $3,000 advance for the record "in consideration for his furnishing the illustration" that adorns what Rolling Stone has ranked the 13th "Greatest Album of All Time," according to the suit. The band "expressly" noted the banana logo as its trademark in the booklet for a five-CD box set released in 1995, and later licensed its use in a 2001 Absolut Vodka ad bearing the tag line "Absolut Underground," in which the stem was stylized to look like a bottle top. (1/11p)