Yoko Ono sues film folks for using 'Imagine'

Yoko Ono is suing the producers of a movie challenging the concept of evolution, alleging they used Imagine without her permission and leading the blogosphere to castigate her (that's right, we used a big, 50-cent word right there).

A lawsuit in federal court says the producers of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed inferred that by using the song, they are saying the people who guard her dead husband John Lennon's legacy endorsed the film, the AP reports. Not so, say the film's producers.

"Based on the fair use doctrine, news commentators and film documentarians regularly use material in the same way we do," Premise Media said in a statement. "Unbiased viewers of the film will see that the 'Imagine' clip was used as part of a social commentary in the exercise of free speech and freedom of inquiry."

The film features Ben Stein challenging Darwinian theories and suggesting that life could have come about via intelligent design. The suit alleges Ono was accused of "selling out" on blogs and forums because of the song's use.

Oh, no, no, no, Yoko -- that's not why they're saying that at all.

[Photo: Getty Images]