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Jennifer Lopez: TATS Cru Sues Over Her Fiat Commercial

Posted Nov 29th 2011 12:45PM by Georgette Cline
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Steve Granitz, WireImage

Jennifer Lopez's new Fiat commercial seems to be bringing the singer more harm than good. After reports surfaced that Jenny from the Block actually filmed her parts driving around in the vehicle in L.A. rather than in her hometown of Bronx, N.Y. -- the commercial's original setting -- she's now coming under fire for including a graffiti-covered wall in the clip.

TATS Cru, a South Bronx graffiti crew, is suing the 42-year-old 'On the Floor' creator for showcasing their work in the commercial without consent. The appearance of the artwork has triggered a copyright dispute because the image is copyrighted and was used without Tats Cru's permission.

In the visuals, titled 'My World,' Lopez is depicted driving around various neighborhoods in the Bronx. The camera pans to images of breakdancers, children playing on the street and a mural that features the TATS Cru's work reading "I love the Bronx" -- love is replaced by a spraypainted heart. The wall of graffiti sits underneath the Bruckner Expressway and the No. 6 train station, a train Lopez rode daily during her come-up in the New York City borough and the inspiration for the title of her debut LP, 'On the 6.'

"That's enough," crew member Wilfredo Feliciano told the New York Times. "This has happened to us in the past, and it's not cool. We had to do something about it."

Stacey Richman, a lawyer for TATS Cru, revealed that Chrysler, who are a subsidiary of Fiat, and the advertising agency have yet to respond.

Check out TATS Cru's mural at the six-second mark below.