Can your library be sued for contest used in video contest?

An article in the NY Times says new lawsuit by Subway against Quiznos that will explore that question and the ruling may impact the future of future video contests. According to the article , Quiznos ran a contest encouraging participants t o make a video that depicted Quiznos sandwiches superior to Subway. Subway says the ads make false claims and depict their brand in a derogatory manner. The new twist to this kind of lawsuit is that Quiznos didn't make the videos . The story says if the courts say Quiznos is liable then it can bring a quick death to the popular surge of video contests.

While libraries have not created such competitive themes to their videos the issue of whether we are legally liable for content may make some bosses skittish on allowing the to run contests.

See full article: Can a Sandwich be Slandered. (You'll need to subscribe, but it's free.)

Of course the other question begs to be asked.... who in their right mind would run a contest entitled: "Quiznos vs Subway TV Ad Challenge" and not think there'd be trouble. :-) here's a sample of another ad submitted....

Sandwich Roadshow

Posted Dec 11, 2006

THis is a Quiznos entry for the Subway vs quiznos contest. It was originally uploaded before the deadline