John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has sued the makers of an anti-evolution documentary film for using the ex-Beatle's legendary song Imagine without her permission, according to US news reported Friday.
Ono, 75, filed the lawsuit against the makers of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" in a Manhattan federal court, together with Lennon's sons Sean and Julian, dpa reported.
The lawsuit claimed that the film gives the impression that she agrees with the ideas promoted by the documentary.
Premise Media, the producer of the film that challenges Darwin's theory of evolution, rejected the accusations and argued that the Imagine segment is covered under fair-use copyright rules.
"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 produces said in a statement.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages as well as a ruling that would stop Premise Media, C& S Production LP and Rocky Mountain Pictures from distributing the movie that uses the song.
In the complaint, Ono added that Premise Media didn't ask her permission to use the song because they knew they weren't going to get it or because they did not want to pay for the rights.
"Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" earned 3 million dollars last weekend when it debuted at number 10 in this week's North American box office chart.