Celebrity
Naked Cowboy Sues M&Ms
The NYC street performer known as “The Naked Cowboy” is suing Mars, Inc. for millions of dollars because an M&M candy on a Times Square billboard sports the same look he does – cowboy hat, cowboy boots and white briefs.
For nearly a decade, Robert Burck has been a fixture in Times Square, where he strums a guitar on a street corner while dressed in his skimpy signature costume.
In a lawsuit filed this week in Manhattan federal court, Burck said that two oversized Times Square billboards that promote M&Ms used his look without compensating him.
The billboards depict a blue M&M with a white guitar overlooking views of New York City, including the Statue of Liberty. He is suing the candy maker and the ad agency that created the ad, for trademark infringement.
Burck had trademarked his signature look and has made several television and movie appearances in costume, including American Idol.