Former model sues Universal over 'x-rated prop' outrage

A Russian former model is suing Universal Pictures for allowing actor Jon Favreau to crack one off to a picture of her in a bikini in the film Couples Retreat. According to the New York Daily News, Irina Krupnik got a bit of shock when she found out a 2001 snap of her taken when she was 21 had resurfaced as "an X-rated prop" …

[LuMan]

Is it wrong....

..... to ask for a Playmobil recreation of this??

[Anonymous Coward]

Is he going to cast the first stone?

' Thomas Mullaney, who thundered: "The image of an older married man pleasuring himself to the picture of someone who was closer to the age of a child is disgusting. It was a swimsuit ad, not pornography." '

[Mark_McA]

It's all in the phrasing...

Amazing how that lawyer's mind works.

"We could say 'younger than him,' or... we could say 'closer to the age of a child...'"

(Paris, cos she's closer to the mental age of a child.)

[Robert Ramsay]

nice euphemism

"not well received by critics" == shit film

[Elmer Phud]

It's Friday --so . . .

. . . usual demands for link to offending picture (to see if one could actually crack one off looking at the pic) or Playmobil.

[Anonymous Coward]

hmmm

If El Reg can publish a copy of the photo then it would be very much appreciated!

(Alternatively, a playmobil recreation would suffice!)

<-- Paris - obviously.

[Anonymous Coward]

NSFW

If anyone wants to know how "wholesome" she is, she got her baps out for Perfect10 Magazine apparently.

(try here, she's about 1/2 way down) http://www.nudecelebforum.com/t1101-p12-perfect-ten-magazine.html

[unitron]

I only read it for the captions...

That's Irene Krupnik, not Irina Krupnik.

[Mr Grumblefish]

I'I'd comment on whether it's the same woman

but I haven't got that far yet.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why not... land of the free

why not i say... 10mil... sounds like her astute lawyer has come to the rescue... give them hell i say.. why not go for more...

I love these sorts of stories... i assume "no win - no charge"... fight for justice and please think of the children.

Whats that joke about 1000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea?

time for a pint....

[Eddie Edwards]

Closer to the age of the child! Oh noes!

"The image of an older married man pleasuring himself to the picture of someone who was closer to the age of a child is disgusting"

Well, I happen to be married to an older woman, but I know men who actually have regular *sex* with a woman who is closer to the age of a child than them (if only by a few weeks).

Won't someone think of the people who are closer to still being children than we are?!

[Disco-Legend-Zeke]

Think Of The...

...old guys!

[Wize]

Photo or it didn't happen

No, of her, not him.

Shes complaining that the photo was used as wank fodder in a film, when its probably been used that way privately anyway.

Perhaps if she didn't want photos of herself going around, she shouldn't have posed for the advert.

[Gulfie]

Good luck to the Moderatrix...

... reviwing the comments from this story. Permission should have been sought under the circumstances. I guess they didn't ask because they already guessed what the answer would be...

[Ben Rosenthal]

yeah

what kind of sicko gets aroused by half naked, young, but safely adult members of the opposite sex?!?!?

Actually, it's me isn't it, I'm the sicko all along :/ curse you god for making me this way!

[Robin]

re: yeah

"curse you god for making me this way!"

Nicely done!

[Peter Galbavy]

Model release ?

Did she sign a model release ? Did it say something like "any purpose" and "perpetual" and "paid work" ? Well dear, hard luck.

[arkizzle]

It was a swimsuit ad, not pornography.

"The image of an older married man pleasuring himself to the picture of someone who was closer to the age of a child is disgusting. It was a swimsuit ad, not pornography."

Ahhh haa hah ha ha.

[Lionel Baden]

Gaarghh

I dont know whos right !!!!!

she made her picture public

but if it was me i would be pissed off !!!

Good luck to whoever is gonna figure this one out

[Anonymous Coward]

Cloud cuckoo land

If she (and her lawyer) really really believes no-one ever got turned on by, let alone spanked the monkey to, pictures of her in a bkini then she's very - VERY - sadly deluded! or just extremely naive about the male gender!

Or of course they're just trying it on for some easy cash... ;-)

[Jimmy Floyd]

Tough

Model's sign over all rights to the photos in exchange for money. I doubt they'd even open this open-and-shut case.

[Anonymous Coward]

Eh?

"If you're a good-looking young woman, you don't want anyone leering at you or fondling you..."

Don't do a swimsuit ad then!

[Anonymous Coward]

piccies or it didn't happen

She knows....

[EvilGav 1]

Again

With the hitting the paedophile button.

"closer to the age of a child"

She was 21 for crying out loud, the vast majority of females in porn are younger than that, but lets hit the paedo button and get everyone all riled up.

Fucking moron.

[Anonymous Coward]

let me get this right...

Surely the photo is held with the publishing company and any use of it will incur royalties so she will recieve a big fat cheque, no need to sue?

Typical merkins claiming to have had their reputation tarnished, she couldn't have had that much of a good reputation if she had to pose in a swim suit!

Photo or it didn't happen :-)

[Anonymous Coward]

Royalties? Doubtful

By far most photographers will simply pay models a flat fee, and all subsequent use will line the pockets of whoever owns the copyright (it *won't* be the model). Otherwise it would simply be a 'mare keeping track of it all...

[Anonymous Coward]

She might want to get her images removed from the Interwebs

or people might, for instance, download them, print them out and then go to crack one off over them in the bogs to liven up a dull Friday afternoon

[banjomike]

Why wait five months?

Presumably she waited to see if the film was going to be a success.

[Will Shaw]

Right....

Something tells me that Little Miss Shocked-And-Indignant will become substantially less shocked and indignant when it comes to the inevitably substantial settlement cheque.

And that lawyer should be shot for trying to insinuate paedophilia into his argument. She was 21, FFS! Closer to the age of a child, my arse.

Paris, because it's all about the money, beeyatch.

That is all.

[Anonymous Coward]

WTF?

"If someone did in Central Park what they showed in Couples Retreat, they would be thrown in jail."

Uhh... yes. That's because there's a difference between someone actually masturbating in public, and someone pretending to do so in private. See how that works?

Presumably this guy is also outraged by people being murdered in movies - after all, if someone did that in Central Park, they'd be thrown in jail, right?

What an idiot.

[amanfromMars 1]

Lawyers at their work

Lester,

That tale, given the perverse capitalist gold digging, should have started .... A former Russian model rather than "A Russian former model" as she has obviously been converted/subverted/perverted/elevated to the worship of $Bills.

[Etrien Dautre]

Why Russian, Really?

Krupnik. That's kinda Jewish surename. When Russian Jews change one star on the flag to fifty, they do so to be called just "Jews" without adding "Russian". But they suddenly realise that they are again called "Russians" in the land of emigration, being pwnd by the more matured Jews for their own little greasy profit. And no strange this is, 'cos she's got what she wanted, but she was probably too shy to ask/too stupid to believe in the ways the newcomers are oftenly exploited before leaving the country.

Same thing about almost every case mentioned in connection with people from this country who went abroad, no matter whether it's Google or Wall St. company people.

The most funny wordplay thing, I think, is "Russian" mafia. 99 percent of its crue members have nothing in common with the Russians except that they can speak the language.

And... I think you're surely right, amfM, "A former Russian", considering $Bill.

And, 10M for a bikini photo? What the hell is she talking about? Kind of tax-free advertising job?

[Etrien Dautre]

correctional facility

2 downpressa @ prec

"oftenly exploited before leaving the country" -

oh, thanks a lot. must read "after leaving the country", sure. thx again yodo.

[Bilgepipe]

Hmm...

"If you're a good-looking young woman, you don't want anyone leering at you or fondling you"

So you wouldn't let a "modelling agency" post pictures of your scantily-clad self on the internet. Besides, is she good-looking? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Anonymous Coward]

"closer to the age of a child"

People are misunderstanding this comparison, I think. I agree it's stupid, but what the guy meant, I think, is: someone who was closer to the age of a child THAN TO HIS AGE. She was 21. A child is 16, say, so he was over 26. Big deal. For what it's worth, when I first met my wife, she was closer in age to a 9-year-old than to me. Shocking.

Also, if someone did in Central Park, or pretty much anywhere for that matter, what they showed in, er, any film featuring one or more murders, I guess, which is quite a lot of films, then they would be thrown in jail. So please give me ten million dollars.

As for violating her privacy, I don't suppose many people would have recognised her in the film, but by publicly threatening to sue in this fashion they've really gone balls-deep with that one, though I don't see how it's Universal Pictures' fault.

[amanfromMars 1]

An Embarrassment of Riches.

"Wot, no pic? ... Come on guys! There's no IT angle. At least show us the pic so we can see if she's worth cracking one off over! ;)" .... Anonymous Coward Posted Friday 12th March 2010 15:37 GMT.

For goodness sake, AC, you really must pay more attention for that has already been provided ... in spades. Please see the earlier post here, "NSFW" .... Ian Emery Posted Friday 12th March 2010 14:07 GMT

[dogged]

worth it?

NSFW: http://img17.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=47546_06e_043_lg_122_447lo.jpg

Probably. And if that's a swimsuit ad, they've short-changed buyers by nicking the top half.

[unitron]

As I point out elsewhere...

That's Irene Krupnik, not Irina Krupnik.

[Mark 65]

NSFW

Nicely Suitable For W..... I'll get me coat.

[Ned Fowden]

obviously

due to her "successful career as a make up artist" she felt the real need to make more money, ... sorry i mean defend her image usage rights

[Eddy Ito]

How perfect!

"The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, accuses NBC Universal and Universal Pictures Co. of soiling her "wholesome image""

And here I thought it was Favreau who was soiling her image. I guess it's all in the wrist.

[Paul Hates Handles]

Perhaps a fap day...

...where 100,000 people also abuse the photo for the benefit of the internet. :D

[Trevor Pott o_O]

Cake

Give it to me! I must have it, and eat it too!

[Peter Kay]

Interesting viewpoint..

I see that her lawyer thinks it's different for an 'attractive young woman' to get unwanted attention than the rest of us. Breaking news : it's no different, and none of us are entitled to attention from someone fitting our own personal definition of 'hot' or to magically block those who don't..

[Michael 28]

Brings back fond memories...

.... of Cosmo and the Littlewoods catalogue back in the 70's...

[Jason Bloomberg]

$10m

Isn't it amazing how possible rightful, "bloody cheek", turns into, "evil bastards who deserve to pay", when there are big rewards for the picking. Of course I'd likely play the same given half a chance, though I doubt anyone could do $10m worth of damage to my reputation. I'm not sure it's possible to do $10m worth of damage to anyone's reputation.

Frankly, I think she should take it as a complement, play it for all it's worth, rather than end up looking like an opportunistic money grabbing has-been.

Clement Attlee with a moustache drawn on his chin. Now you're talking. Biggest sex symbol this country ever produced.

[Mike Moyle]

Bad move...

Does Attorney Mullaney know that he's actually suing the noted Attorney Franklin "Foggy" Nelson...? If he's not careful, he'll have Nelson's partner Matt Murdock coming after him, and NO ONE wants that!

(Frankly, this sounds just like the sort of trap that Wilson Fisk would set up for Murdock -- threaten his partner to draw him out...)

...and it's so sad that that was the first thing that I thought when I read the article...

@Gulfie -- ". Permission should have been sought under the circumstances. I guess they didn't ask because they already guessed what the answer would be..." Actually, I would guess that they didn't ask because the article says that they bought the photo from a stock photo house, who presumably already had negotiated the rights when they bought/licensed them from: A-- the photographer who has a signed model release from the model, or; B -- from the model herself, who hired the photographer.

@AC 14:09 GMT

"Typical merkins claiming to have had their reputation tarnished..." Uh... the article said that she was Russian. I realize that we all look alike to you, but...

[Thomas 18]

Duh

"If someone did in Central Park what they showed in Terminator, they would be thrown in jail", thats why they call em movies genius.

[Pascal Monett]

"the snap languished in stock photo agencies"

Sorry honey, but if a pic of you is in a "stock photo" database, it means you've already waived all rights to it.

And you know it.

So this is just a publicity stunt.

Of course, you may not realize that the publicity is not for you. Your picture was a prop in a film, now your name is a prop in a headline-grabbing gesture that has no legal chance to go anywhere, but might just get a lawyer a name.

Meanwhile, the only thing you will have managed is that, by calling attention to your name and pics, there will suddenly be a lot more guys cracking one off to you.

I hope you like soggy spotlights.

[scottboy]

@Pascal Monett

"soggy spotlights" - that's a new euphemism on me.

[gimbal]

Sounds a little bit political

Though I'm no great scholar about the matters, myself, but from what I've caught about it, the emergence of relations between the US and the Russian Federation has not been altogether smooth, at the margin. I do remember hearing of a couple of jokes cracked by their PM, at the time, Herr Putin, in regards to the US Pres at the time, Herr Dubyah. That's not much, I know. Also, indicators about it may creep into some literature from Russia - I'm citing the works of Sergei Lukyanenko, at that.

One could call it a hunch, supported with some sparse facts, which is pretty much what it is :)

[Pablo]

How is it possible?

How is it possible that no one has quoted Brass Eye yet?

[Anonymous Coward]

Er...

"Shes complaining that the photo was used as wank fodder in a film, when its probably been used that way privately anyway."

Yeah... er... 'probably' has been... *click, click, fap, fap, fap*

[Anonymous Coward]

Any attractive woman with half a brain

knows very well that if she publishes a picture of herself in anything less than tracky-daks and a windcheater that there's going to be millions of guys of all ages choking the chicken in front of it for years if not decades to come. Everyone knows that the biggest subscribers to the Victoria's Secret catalogue and Sports Illustrated calendars are guys who have every intention of pulling pole over them. And those supermodels know very well that they've been fapped over millions of times in bedrooms across the globe. This dumb bitch is deluding herself if she thinks any differently.

And calling older guys "paedophiles" just because they fap over pictures of ADULT women who may be a couple of decades younger than they are is going way, WAY too far. That lawyer should be fucking publicly executed, and I'd be the one cheering loudest at his hanging.

[Rufus Nice]

Irina Krupnik I really feel for you

Seriously, people. Bit of perspective might be in order. The general public are too wrapped up in their preconceived ideas of what is morally right and wrong to even consider the fact that cracking one off to a picture of her in a bikini is really good for you. If what Irina Krupnik said is true...and so far it seems to be so...the people who propagated this inaccurate rubbish must be held to account. Is this really all people can think about anymore?

[Wize]

Maybe she knows the claim is a non-starter

Its all for publicity. Get her name recognised. She'll be in Nuts or Playboy next month.