After the death of Betty Boop creator Max Fleischer, his family created Fleischer Studios and has brought multiple lawsuits for copyright and trademark infringement regarding use of the character. One target of the litigation is Nevada company AVELA who restores vintage Betty Boop posters and licenses the rights to them to third parties. After successfully defending the infringement claims in the 9th circuit and a Federal district court, AVELA has brought suit against Fleischer Studios and the two law firms that assisted Fleischer in their litigation. AVELA describes the litigation tactics by the family as harassment and extortion, and claims that the Betty Boop litigation is knowingly without merit.
See Elizabeth Warmerdam, Fight Over Betty Boop Gets Fierce, Courthouse News Service, Nov. 17, 2014.
