NEW YORK -- The promoter of a new Melissa McCarthy movie has told a judge that a lawsuit from the makers of "Sesame Street" could be devastating for the film's August release.
Lawyers for the company -- STX Productions LLC -- want the judge to disregard trademark-infringement claims by Sesame Workshop in a federal court lawsuit last week.
They say no reasonable parent would confuse R-rated "The Happytime Murders" with the long-running puppet-driven educational children's program.
McCarthy's movie features the comedian as a human detective who teams with a puppet partner to investigate grisly puppet murders.
After the lawsuit was filed, STX Productions responded to media questions with a statement from "Fred- Esq," which it said was a lawyer puppet.
The company dropped the humour for its Monday filing, signed by actual lawyers.
