Sweet Brown Is Suing! Says Apple and Others Used Her Catchphrases Without Permission

Sweet Brown became famous for her harrowing tale of escape from a house fire. And if anyone’s going to profit from that, it’s going to be her!

The Internet celeb aka Kimberly Wilkins is suing Apple and others in federal court for selling a song on iTunes that sampled an interview she conducted with a Seattle radio program, the Bob Rivers Show, without her permission. The result was a song called “I Got Bronchitis,” which went up hours after the interview. NewsOK quotes the lawsuit: “At no time did Sweet Brown consent or agree to have her name, likeness, voice, statements, photograph used in connection with any products, songs, video productions, merchandise, goods, advertisements or solicitations for merchandise, goods or service.” The radio program and the company that owns it, Citicasters, is also named in the lawsuit.

NewsOK says the song was on sale from April 16 to June 29 of last year. The lawsuit was originally filed in June 2012 and has since moved to the federal courts. The lawsuit started at $15 million but has since been amended to an unknown amount.