'American Idol' sues to stop Austin strip club's takeoff

By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
eramshaw@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – The half-naked, spike-heeled strippers writhing onstage at the Palazio Men's Club "Stripper Idol" contest are a far cry from celebrity stardom – even if they win.

But that hasn't stopped the mega-media company that owns American Idol from suing the Austin club in federal court.

FremantleMedia, which owns the country's most-watched TV show, says Palazio's weekly amateur stripping contest is a trademark violation, one that tarnishes the company brand and could lead the public to believe the TV show is sponsoring the event.

Attorneys for FremantleMedia North America, who did not return repeated phone calls, have sued the club in U.S. district court, seeking to end the contest and seize Palazio's profits.

Palazio managers, who first thought the lawsuit was a joke, say they have no intention of ending the Thursday night strip-off.

They say the contest – where girls have 60 seconds to dance topless, then are ranked by audience applause to win $500 – bears no resemblance to the hit TV show.

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