05 June 2009 | Author: O. Gaywood Media Optimiser

Tony La Russa to sue Twitter

Tony La Russa, manager of Major League Baseball side St Louis Cardinals, is trying to sue Twitter because someone's pretending to be him.

The profile - which has now been taken down by Twitter officials - impersonated La Russa in what the 64-year-old deems to be a derogatory and demeaning manner. Some of the tweets, which were presented in screenshots by his lawyers, included messages about former Cardinals players who have passed away which is said to have angered La Russa.

Twitter - like almost every other form of social networking - has had a spate of celebrity use, both real and fake. Last month Kanye West had a rant on his blog about fake Kanye West accounts on Twitter. These accounts were swiftly removed after the post was published.

With the popularity of celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher and Stephen Fry on Twitter, many users take for granted that the face behind the name will match.

Tony La Russa, however, is denying having anything to do with Twitter and has filed a case for "trademark infringement, trademark dilution and misappropriation of name and likeness" despite, according to USA Today, the profile containing the line "Bio parodies are fun for everyone" in its description and it only having four followers.