http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS118036+13-Oct-2009+BW20091013
SEATTLE--(Business Wire)--
For so many of you who may not already know, I would like to clarify that I am
not, nor have I been involved with Warren Miller Entertainment (WME) or their
ski movies for quite some time now. When I sold the company to my son in 1988, I
was excited about staying involved and helping carry the company forward.
However, the company has twice since been sold, and it has been six years since
I have had anything whatsoever to do with the films bearing my name.
The lawsuit that WME has filed against Josh Berman and Level 1 Productions is
something that never should have happened. WME has no valid claim for Trademark
Infringement, and that is why they are attempting to delay the action with Level
1 and go to arbitration with me. The judge will rule on the stay of action
sometime this week. For Josh and Level 1, a stay of action only means that WME
gets to put off their lawsuit, until the arbitration between them and me is
finished. That is unacceptable as it leaves Josh and Level 1 hanging in the
wind.
I stopped working with WME because our ideas on what the ski films should be
weren`t on the same page, and they demonstrated that they didn`t want my
involvement in making ski films any longer. WME`s statement that they "would
like nothing better than to have Mr. Miller be a continuing part of WME," but
cannot because they are "a small company with limited resources and we are not
in a position to meet the financial conditions Mr. Miller requires" is really
absurd.
I have never made ski films solely for the money. I have always done what I do
out of my love for skiing, passion for people, and the freedom that I find while
on the mountain. I sat down and did an interview with Josh, a friend whose
entire company, Level 1 Productions, generated less than $100,000 in revenue in
2008. While on the other hand, WME is the largest company of its kind in the
world and is part of a multi-million dollar corporation, which is owned by a
larger global conglomerate that posted more than a billion dollars in revenue in
2008.
I am really flattered by how much support so many people have shown not only to
me, but also to Josh and Level 1 Productions. Thank you for reading this. Let`s
all look forward to bluebird days and untracked powder snow!
-Warren Miller
Warren Miller
The Warren Miller Company
press@warrenmiller.net
(800) 973-4033
