Yanni sues Miller-Boyett Productions for Defamation

Athens, Greece - Quasi-popular new age musician Yanni has filed suit in the United States against the television sitcom-producing entity Miller-Boyett productions, known for their early success in the 1990s with smash family hits such as "Full House," "Family Matters (aka Urkel)," and "Perfect Strangers."

Yanni's claim: that Miller-Boyett ripped off his image by creating "Uncle Jesse," the vagabond, unsuccessful musician who comes to live with his brother-in-law and three nieces after his sister (their wife/mother) passes away.

"Mr. Yanni stringently believes that his career was adversely affected at the expense of Miller-Boyett's profits," said J. Bryant Holton, Esq., the attorney for the Greek uber-musician.



Attorneys for Miller-Boyett declined to comment and would not return phone calls requesting interviews. When reached for his take, John Stamos, the sex-symbol who played "Uncle Jess" and made "Have mercy!" a household phrase stated: "I don't think there's that much similarity between me (Uncle Jesse) and Yanni. Although both Greek, both with tremendous hair, and both struggling musicians, there's really not much in common between the two. He has a mustache."

It will be interesting to see how the suit plays out. A Yanni victory could potentially open the flood gates of litigation for images seemingly resembling quasi-famous persons that are used in television sitcoms. Experts anticipate similar suits to follow: Al Roker and Reginald Vel Johnson bear a striking resemblance. A 2000 suit by a party claiming rights to the character of "George Costanza" on Seinfeld was dismissed by a New York trial court.