Movies misuse "No Animals Were Harmed" disclaimer

Just weeks after releasing its updated “Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media,” the American Humane Association (AHA) reveals five Hollywood offenders. According to AHA, these films included the trademarked disclaimer, “No Animals Were Harmed,” without the association's approval. To gain AHA authorization, movies must be monitored on-set by the group or its international associates of highly trained certified animal safety representatives.

The American Humane's Film & TV Unit, based in the Los Angeles area, exposed these recent films as using deceptive and unauthorized end credits:

• "Adam" by Olympus Pictures, Deer Path Productions, Serenade Films, Vox3 Films

• "District 9" by WingNut Films Limited, Key Creatives and LLC/QED International

• "Easy Virtue" by Ealing Studios, Fragile Films, Endgame Entertainment, Odyssey Entertainment

• "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" by Number 9 Films

• "Shrink" by Ignite Entertainment, Ignite Productions, Ithaka Entertainment, and Trigger Street Productions

In a press release, AHA stated that it sent the production entities, studios, and distributors a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that the unauthorized end-credit disclaimers be removed immediately from the theatrical version, the DVD version, and any other versions they're releasing. According to the press release, some studios and producers have indicated that they'll remove the illegitimate credit, while others are making excuses or taking no action and, thus, are potentially compounding possible infringement of AHA's protected trademark.

 Click here to learn more about the American Humane Association.