According to reports, the owners of several Times Square buildings have filed a suit against Sony, the Hollywood studio behind 'Spider-Man', for digitally altering signs including those of Samsung, a competitor of Sony which owns Columbia Pictures.
In the movie, which is due to open in the US on May 3, a Samsung ad on the sign of 2 Times Square is replaced by an ad for USA Today. The sign appears three times in the movie, according to court papers.
The owner of 2 Times Square is one of the litigants joining in the lawsuit.
According to a spokesman for the building's lawyers: "We think it's inappropriate to substitute your own image for the one that exists."
The suit also said that in certain TV commercials for 'Spider-Man', the Samsung sign was digitally replaced with an ad for a wireless telephone company, according to the New York Daily News.
It further said that another Sherwood-owned building in Times Square, 1600 Broadway, was digitally altered, with a sign for NBC replaced by that of another company.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .