Chuck Norris Sues Author over Satirical Book of "Facts"
Martial arts legend and silver screen star Chuck Norris has made a career of defeating the bad guy (of course, unless he played the bad guy). After a list of victories that has spanned three decades and several continents, Norris should have no problem with author Ian Spector.
But Norris's battle with Spector is a legal battle, which means that Norris' martial arts moves won't be on display and that may even the playing field a bit more.
Norris is specifically suing Spector and Penguin Group, Inc. over a book that Spector compiled called "The Truth about Chuck Norris". The book is the result of a web site of the same name that has existed since 2005, which contains satirical "facts" about Norris's toughness and virility told in the exaggerated style of a myth.
The example fact that news sources have widely quoted regards Norris's toughness: "Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he doesn't cry. Ever."
However, Norris' complaints have more to do with the many other facts in the book, some of which don't paint Norris in the best light, and some of which can be seen as racist and obscene.
Further, in the preface of the book, Spector refers to meetings he had with Norris and claims that Norris agreed to "play along" with the book, facts which Norris claims are far from the "truth". The Penguin publishing group is being named in the lawsuit because Norris claims he contacted the publisher and confirmed that the book was not authorized, but was ignored. The two web sites that Spector runs, including www.thetruthaboutchuck.com, are also included in the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Norris refuses authorization to Penguin or its Gotham Books division to use his name, image or likeness in connection with commercial sales of the book. He calls for its publication to be halted, and books already sold to be recalled, as well as unspecified damages.
Spector is an undergraduate at Brown University majoring in computational biology, and started using a Chuck Norris Fact Generator on his own website in 2005. His site also features fact generators for other Hollywood tough guys, including Vin Diesel and Mr. T.
Norris is the star of more than 30 martial arts and action films, and also the hit television show, "Walker, Texas Ranger". He has also received the 8th degree Black Belt Grand Master rank in Tae Kwon Do, the only person in the Western hemisphere to receive this ranking.
