February 19, 2007 | Studio Flixxx

Michael Lucas sued over "La Dolce Vita"

The first "La Dolce Vita" hit the big screen in 1960; set in Rome, it tells the story of a playboy society columnist living the "sweet life." The second, a recently released two-part gay porn extravaganza, is an X-rated version of the original. And even though it's up for 14 GayVN awards on Feb. 25, victory might prove more bitter than "sweet" thanks to a lawsuit filed against filmmaker Michael Lucas last week.

According to the Associated Press, International Media Films Inc. (IMF) has accused Lucas of trademark and copyright infringement for his use of the title "La Dolce Vita."

The company says that "Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita" has stripped the original, directed by Federico Fellini, of its reputation and dignity. The two-part DVD  will "infringe, tarnish and dilute" the trademark rights to the Academy Award-winning original, IMF  says in its lawsuit.

Lucas  insists otherwise. "Nobody can be confused and think they're buying Fellini's movie by buying mine," he said.

The two films do have a few things in common. Both have been nominated for a slew of awards and both are remarkable for their sex-charged scenery, Fellini's featuring Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni and Lucas's a huge cast of  hotties. Given the choice, we'll take the future porno classic over the black-and-white original any day!

• Porn maestro sued over "La Dolce Vita" [SFGate.com- AP]