YNOT – Porn tycoon Larry Flynt’s good name is safe from alleged tarnish now that a federal jury has determined Flynt’s nephews violated a trademark when they founded their own company under the family moniker.The victory was incomplete, however, because the jury also decided brothers Dustin and Jimmy Flynt Jr. did not violate their uncle’s privacy and do not have to pay the legal fees Larry Flynt forked over to fund the four-day trial.
The lawsuit, filed last year in a California U.S. District Court, ended late last week after about three hours of deliberation by a four-woman, four-man, primarily middle-aged jury. Prior to making their decision, jury members saw box cover images created by both Larry Flynt’s iconic Hustler empire and Dustin and Jimmy Flynt Jr.’s Flynt Media Corp. Jurors also heard testimony in which Larry Flynt accused his nephews of perverting the Flynt brand with cheap knockoffs of Hustler’s high-quality porn.
“The junk they publish hurts my reputation, which in turn hurts my revenue,” Larry Flynt told the court.
He also said his mentorship of his brother’s sons obviously didn’t work in quite the way he intended. Jimmy Flynt Jr., 37, and Dustin Flynt, 34, worked for their uncle for 17 years before they were fired in November 2007 amid allegations of incompetency and laziness. Immediately, the nephews used their severance pay to found their own company and compete with one of the best-known brands in adult entertainment.
The nephews insisted they had nothing to gain by exploiting their uncle’s name. “Flynt” is their surname, too, they argued, and they have every right to employ it personally and professionally.
Though his nephews’ porn aspirations may have been set back, at least temporarily, by Larry Flynt’s court victory, the elder Flynt isn’t finished with family feuds quite yet. His brother, Jimmy Flynt, has sued the porn mogul over a dispute involving a Hustler store in Cincinnati. That lawsuit continues.
