Ono Sues Over Lennon's Imagine

Ono and Lennon's two sons Sean and Julian have joined publisher EMI Blackwood Music Inc in suing the filmmakers of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

In a lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in Manhattan, New York, Ono is seeking to bar Premise Media Corporation, C+S Production LP and Rocky Mountain Pictures from continuing to use the track in its movie.

They are also seeking unspecified damages.

But the producers have cited the fair use doctrine, which allows the use of copyrighted materials for the purposes of commentary and criticism.

A statement from the studio says, "We are disappointed therefore that Yoko Ono and others have decided to challenge our free speech right to comment on the song 'Imagine' in our documentary film."

On Tuesday, (22Apr08) Ono actioned legal proceedings against Massachusetts-based World Wide Video in a bid to stop the company from airing footage of the late Beatle smoking pot and discussing putting the hallucinogenic drug LSD in former U.S. President Richard Nixon's tea.