Bogus Barneys Baffle Beancounters

Lyons Partnership is the company that licenses Barney products.  It is on a campaign to sue over 700 costume shops and other retailers in 20 states for copyright infringement.

Lyons Partnership claims that purple dinosaur costumes could tarnish Barney's image, and that dressing like Barney constitutes copyright infringement.  Especially egregious, the company cites an instance of photograph of a person in a bogus Barney costume with the head off smoking a cigar.

Costume shop owners claim that purple dinosaur outfits don't have anything to do with the popular children's TV character.