In this Oct. 11, 2001 file photo, chef, cookbook author and television show host Julia Child, shares a laugh with students from her alma mater, Smith College in Northampton, Mass. A foundation set up by Julia Child is in a legal battle in August 2012 with the manufacturer of Thermador ovens, claiming BSH Home Appliances Corp., is using Child’s name and image without permission in a marketing campaign of the company’s high-end appliances.DENISE LAVOIE, AP Legal Affairs Writer
BOSTON – A foundation set up by late chef Julia Child is locked in a legal fight with the manufacturer of Thermador ovens for touting her use of its high-end appliances.
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts claims BSH Home Appliances Corp. is using Child’s name and image without permission. The Irvine, Calif.-based manufacturer says it is simply making a factual reference to Child’s use of its appliances.
BSH filed a lawsuit in Boston against the foundation last week, asking a federal judge to determine the rights of both sides. The foundation countered by filing two lawsuits this week against BHS, one in state court in Santa Barbara, Calif., where the foundation is based, and the other in federal court in Los Angeles. The lawsuits ask for an injunction to stop BSH from using Child’s name and seek unspecified monetary damages.
Child, who died in 2004, had a Thermador oven in her Cambridge kitchen. It’s now displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington. She also used Thermador products on the set of her popular television show, “The French Chef.”