'Kevin Butler' actor settles dispute with Sony over Wii endorsement

Jerry Lambert, the actor who portrayed Sony's Kevin Butler character in PlayStation advertising, has settled a dispute with the company, admitting that he may have caused confusion by appearing in an advert with a Nintendo Wii. The Kevin Butler character was created by Sony to advertise its PlayStation products. However, last year Lambert appeared in a Bridgestone advert which featured him playing Mario Kart Wii on a Nintendo Wii, and Sony claimed that Bridgestone has used the Kevin Butler character in such a way that it infringes on the company's intellectual property. According to the settlement, as reported by MediaPost, Lambert has acknowledged that his contract with Sony states that he could not endorse competing game systems, and that his participation in the the Bridgestone advert could indeed have confused viewers. The actor has agreed not to appear in any video game advertising for the next two years, and says he will tell Sony if he plans to after that period, such that Sony "can assess whether or not Lambert’s intended performance violates [Sony’s] rights in the Kevin Butler character."