Retired actress Hedy Lamarr took home a chunk of cash Monday when her copyright infringement lawsuit against Corel was settled out of court.
Lamarr, 84, filed a lawsuit in March in US District Court of Orange County, Florida, alleging Corel had no right to use her image in the box of its CorelDraw8 software.
Lamarr sought US$15 million in punitive damages and emotional distress. Her lawyer Michael McDonnell confirmed that the actress received a financial settlement but said terms of the settlement prevented him from disclosing the amount.
"All I can say is that both sides are pleased with the agreement," McDonnell said. The settlement also granted Corel a five-year license to use Lamarr's image to promote its software.
The artwork in question was designed by graphic artist John Corkery, who won a Corel-sponsored art contest in 1996. In defending against the lawsuit, Corel maintained that Corkery obtained the correct permissions. The image is a digitally produced likeness, not a photograph.
The lawsuit
threatened to turn ugly
on 30 October when Corel's lawyers brought up unsavory incidents from Lamarr's past in an argument before the court. McDonnell said at the time the allegations were untrue and "just an effort to slime" the actress.
Lamarr's screen credits include the 1949
Samson and Delilah
and the 1951
My Favorite Spy
.
The actress was also recently applauded for her contribution to wireless networking technology. In 1942, Lamarr and her partner George Antheil
invented and patented
a concept called frequency hopping. The technology later contributed to the development of cellular phones and wireless networking systems.
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