Chuck Norris Strikes Back!

by Jordan Yerman | December 25, 2007 at 11:31 am

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The whole Chuck Norris meme is really weird: I'm not sure how or where it started, but it's ubiquitous now: "CHuck Norris doesn't have a chin- behind his beard is another fist", that sort of thing.

Chuck Norris is suing publisher Penguin and author Ian Spector over the book "The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the World's Greatest Human". Among other claims, the suit states that the "book's title would mislead readers into thinking the facts were true." This means that apparently Chuck Norris cannot cure your cancer with his tears, he did not create a giraffe by uppercutting a horse, and he cannot speak braille.

Doubtful that anybody would actually believe that sort of stuff; what's really at stake here is brand ownership: a celebrity's control over how his name is used, and with what it is associated.

Tough-guy actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris sued publisher Penguin on Friday over a book he claims unfairly exploits his famous name, based on a satirical Internet list of "mythical facts" about him.

Penguin published "The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the World's Greatest Human" in November. Author Ian Spector and two Web sites he runs to promote the book, including www.truthaboutchuck.com, are also named in the suit.