Sony sues over Kevin Butler character

Sony is suing over one of its own--albeit fake--executives. VentureBeat reports that the PlayStation maker has filed a lawsuit against tire manufacturer Bridgestone and ad agency Wildcat Creek over the use of its faux PlayStation executive Kevin Butler.

Butler, who is played by actor Jerry Lambert, has portrayed a range of fictional characters in numerous PlayStation product advertisements for years. However, Lambert recently appeared in a Bridgestone commercial during which he was shown playing Mario Kart Wii from PlayStation competitor Nintendo.

Sony's suit claims Bridgestone's use of the Kevin Butler character is a misrepresentation of Sony intellectual property and in fact has caused the publisher damages.

"We invested significant resources in bringing the Kevin Butler character to life, and he's become an iconic personality directly associated with PlayStation products over the years," reads a line from a statement provided to VentureBeat. "Use of the Kevin Butler character to sell products other than those from PlayStation misappropriates Sony’s intellectual property, creates confusion in the market, and causes damage to Sony."