NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Singer Bobby Brown and the estate of his late Bobbi Kristina Brown have taken the producers of a Whitney Houston documentary to court, alleging that the movie used footage from the Bravo reality series, “Being Bobby Brown” without obtaining permission.
The suit, filed in Federal Court in New York, alleges that premium cable network Showtime, the British Broadcasting Corporation, Passion Pictures Corp and the owners of Simmons Shelly Entertainment, promoted and distributed the 2017 documentary “Can I Be Me” which included more than 30 minutes of uncleared footage of Bobby Brown.
Brown also alleges that Showtime and Passion distributed “Can I Be Me” in August 2017 without consent from Brown of the Estate of Bobbi Kristina Brown, and also leveled similar charges against the BBC, who distributed the film in the UK.
Brown alleged that filmmakers used segments in which Bobby Brown and Bobbi Kristina Brown, who was a minor at the time, are singing and performing on stage. Brown and the Estate claim they never consented to the material being used in the film “Can I Be Me” and never cleared the music or performances.
As well, Brown claims that the footage used in the film constituted a breach of contract by B2 Entertainment, a now dissolved company that helped to create Brown’s short-lived reality series “Being Bobby Brown” where much of the footage came from.
“SSE, B2, Simmons and Shelley have circumvented RB’s role have negotiated a side deal with a third party to make the BKB project with includes information obtained and associated with the show “Being Bobby Brown” and circumvented the spirit and intent of the Agreement in violation of paragraph 6 of the Agreement by utilizing information, concepts, ideas , materials and footage obtained during the production of “Being Bobby Brown” to make the movie “Can I Be Me” without the consent of RB,” the complaint said.
Brown and the Estate of Bobbi Kristina Brown, are seeking permanent injunctive relief, monetary and punitive damages, and attorney fees.
The lawsuit was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
