RC3 sues Justin Bieber over "Joustin' Beaver" app

In the latest chapter of lawsuits that should never happen, there is now a pair of lawsuits that have been exchanged between the developers of an app called "Joustin' Beaver," and Justin Bieber. Bieber's lawyers have threatened to sue if the company doesn't pull the app, and the app maker has sued in retaliation, saying it is protected by the First Amendment.

The app developer is RC3, and wasn't really known until the Bieber mocking app. The app depicts a well-coiffed beaver with a purple jacket and a handsome face. It's clearly designed to mock the pop idol, a fact that RC3 readily admits. But, it claims, parodies are fully protected under the Constitution and Bieber has no standing to threaten legal action.

The lawsuit leveled against Bieber is mainly a symbolic one and the goal is to quash the threat of a lawsuit from Bieber. The idea is perhaps that if Bieber sues RC3, a jury might have sympathy for the singer, but if RC3 sues first and gains a legal immunity, it will be free and clear to distribute the app – an app that is gaining more attention than it probably ever would have if Bieber's attorneys didn't make such a big deal of it in the first place.

[via Hollywood Reporter]