Martha Hart files suit against WWE

**NeanderCarl** · 06-22-2010, 01:44 PM

My understanding is that unless there was a legally binding agreement made (possibly as part of the settlement) restricting WWE from using any footage of Owen, Martha has no legal right to stop them doing so. When you sign a WWE contract, they own everything you do within the promotion that is committed to tape. Yes, they are obliged to pay the performer (or their next of kin) for the usage but the only way Martha can successfully sue the company is if they did legally agree not to do it.

Otherwise they can market their tape library however they want to.

And I've never seen them market any commercial product on the basis of an Owen Hart appearance. Of course he was on the front cover of The Hart Family DVD but it wasn't marketed as "Hart & Soul starring Owen Hart", more as the story of the whole Hart family, and it is a fact that Owen was a member of that family, not some marketing ploy. Regardless of the circumstances of Owen's death, more people would have been interested in that DVD due to Bret or the collective whole than specifically Owen.

If it is simply a case that WWE refrained from releasing footage focusing on Owen for the last 11 years out of sensitivity (hmm) and politeness (hmm), then Martha can't throw a fit when they decide to exercise their legal right to do so. If, on the other hand, they have broken a legally binding agreement, then good luck to her.

She seems a bit lawsuit happy, but then again you can't discount the fact that she unneccessarily lost her husband in his mid 30s and the pain that caused. She has a right to be bitter and even hate the business. But most people agree that Owen loved the business - at least the in-ring side of it - and took such pride in his work that at several times he was considered one of the greatest in the world. It's a shame if the world never got to see his hard work, skill and talent ever again - it would completely devalue the time he spent devoted to performing and the life that ultimately lead to his demise... almost as if, outside Martha's little bubble, Owen Hart never existed.

06-22-2010, 01:44 PM	#11
NeanderCarl That's Not My Name Posts: 9,086	My understanding is that unless there was a legally binding agreement made (possibly as part of the settlement) restricting WWE from using any footage of Owen, Martha has no legal right to stop them doing so. When you sign a WWE contract, they own everything you do within the promotion that is committed to tape. Yes, they are obliged to pay the performer (or their next of kin) for the usage but the only way Martha can successfully sue the company is if they did legally agree not to do it. Otherwise they can market their tape library however they want to. And I've never seen them market any commercial product on the basis of an Owen Hart appearance. Of course he was on the front cover of The Hart Family DVD but it wasn't marketed as "Hart & Soul starring Owen Hart", more as the story of the whole Hart family, and it is a fact that Owen was a member of that family, not some marketing ploy. Regardless of the circumstances of Owen's death, more people would have been interested in that DVD due to Bret or the collective whole than specifically Owen. If it is simply a case that WWE refrained from releasing footage focusing on Owen for the last 11 years out of sensitivity (hmm) and politeness (hmm), then Martha can't throw a fit when they decide to exercise their legal right to do so. If, on the other hand, they have broken a legally binding agreement, then good luck to her. She seems a bit lawsuit happy, but then again you can't discount the fact that she unneccessarily lost her husband in his mid 30s and the pain that caused. She has a right to be bitter and even hate the business. But most people agree that Owen loved the business - at least the in-ring side of it - and took such pride in his work that at several times he was considered one of the greatest in the world. It's a shame if the world never got to see his hard work, skill and talent ever again - it would completely devalue the time he spent devoted to performing and the life that ultimately lead to his demise... almost as if, outside Martha's little bubble, Owen Hart never existed.