OFF BEAT: Academy acts out over fake Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences filed suit against a Texas man Wednesday in hopes of ensuring that if you receive an Oscar it will be from the academy, not from a website.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the academy sued Jaime De La Rosa in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin after discovering he was selling reproductions of Oscar statuettes on eBay and Etsy. The suit claims that in selling the replica statuettes Mr. De La Rosa engaged in copyright and trademark infringement, false representation and trademark dilution.

The academy claims Mr. De La Rosa received from $850 to $5,000 each for his Oscar reproductions, the Hollywood Reporter said.

The report notes that the academy has vigorously defended its intellectual property in the past, including suing a candy maker who made chocolate Oscar statues and others who tried to create phony Oscars or sell real ones.