An Eau Claire, Wisconsin, television station is suing a couple of pranksters in federal court.
 
According to news reports, Atlanta-based Gray Television, the owners of WEAU-TV Eau Claire, have filed a lawsuit against The Found Footage Festival, Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, all of New York, after the defendants allegedly used fake names and materials to fraudulently “book their appearance for a live interview on [WEAU-TV’s] flagship morning program ‘Hello Wisconsin’”.
 
The complaint charges that Pickett and Prueher, students at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, appeared on the program as the “fake strongman duo Chop & Steele and performed ridiculous bits and provided false information to WEAU viewers.” The two were invited on by an enthusiastic WEAU anchor who responded to an email and press release offering the appearance of Chop & Steele.
 
“During all of their communications with WEAU, Prueher and Pickett used false names. Neither they, nor Found Footage Festival, explained the true purpose of the duo’s visit to WEAU at any time before or after they appeared on ’Hello Wisconsin,’” the lawsuit alleges.
 
“I guess Gray Television didn’t have a sense of humor about this thing,” Prueher said. “If they had done … their due diligence, that I feel like is the responsibility of a news organization, they would have known this was a goof, but you know, they didn’t.”
 
Among other things, Gray Television is asking the court to find that Found Footage Festival has infringed on its copyright of the Nov. 29 episode of “Hello Wisconsin,” and also asks the court to order Found Footage Festival to render a full and complete accounting to Gray Television of its profits attributable to the infringement, along with compensatory and punitive damages, costs and attorneys’ fees incurred in pursuing the action and interest.

—Source: twincities.com