Yoko Ono and sons Sean and Julian Lennon are suing Manhattan production company Premise Media for using 'Imagine' in their film 'Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed' without permission.

 

The film is currently riding high in the US box office charts at No 10. The film company's defence is that the song's inclusion is covered by the US's 'fair use' doctrine, which allows the use of copyrighted materials without permission for the purposes of commentary and criticism  - here "a very small portion of the song". The lawsuit aims to prevent Premise Media, C&S Production LP and Rocky Mountain Pictures from continuing to use 'Imagine' in the film, as well as seeking unspecified financial damages.