Kimberly Wilkins—best known on the Internet under the name Sweet Brown—is suing Apple for $15 million for sampling her catchphrases without her permission, according to News OK.
Her signature catchphrase, "ain't nobody got time for that," which was quoted from an interview of her by a local TV news station on a burning apartment building, made the Oklahoma City resident an overnight Internet sensation and sparked a popular autotune remix on YouTube by The Parody Factory.
Now Wilkins is suing Apple Inc., saying that she was "defrauded" when iTunes used her voice and her likeness to sell songs and profit off her. Included in the lawsuit are claims against radio program the Bob Rivers Show—and the company that owns it, Citicasters Co.—for producing a song called "I Got Bronchitis" which sampled several of the phrases that she used in her TV broadcast.
The lawsuit states that, “At no time did Sweet Brown consent or agree to have her name, likeness, voice, statements, photograph used in connection with any products, songs, video productions, merchandise, goods, advertisements or solicitations for merchandise, goods or service."
The initial demand from Wilkins and co-plaintiff Sparkell Adams was $15 million from the defendants, in addition to $7.5 million in punitive damages. An amended lawsuit that was filed in December does not specify the renewed demands.
Adams is described to be Wilkins's business manager. The two are currently battling without attorneys. Court records show that the two attorneys who were handling the case were granted permission to withdraw from the proceedings on March 1st, noting "unresolvable differences between counsel and the plaintiffs" as the reason.
Watch the original TV news report and the autotune remix that made Sweet Brown an Internet star below.
