Chubby Checkers doing the Twist.
A lawyer acting for Chubby Checker – the musical legend behind "The Twist" – has announced a lawsuit against tech-giant Hewlett-Packard for using the singer's name for a penis-measuring app.
In a statement this week, attorney Willie Gary said the suit named HP and its subsidiary Palm, for marketing the software application without permission.
The app, seen here, was made for Palm/HP's open source mobile software WebOS, allegedly in 2010. HP no longer manufactures Palm smartphones.
The suit filed in a Florida federal court seeks $500-million in damages.
According to Gary, it alleges the app "adversely affects Chubby Checker's brand and value... and will tarnish his image that he has worked to maintain over the last 50 years."
"This lawsuit is about preserving the integrity and legacy of a man who has spent years working hard at his musical craft and has earned the position of one of the greatest musical entertainers of all time," said Gary.
"We cannot sit idly and watch as technology giants or anyone else exploits the name or likeness of an innocent person with the goal of making millions of dollars," he added.
According to WebOSnation, a site devoted to the open source software, HP sent a statement saying "The application was removed in September 2012 and is no longer on any Palm or HP hosted web site."
"The defendants have marketed Chubby Checker's name on their product to gain a profit and this just isn't right."
The "Chubby Checker" app, which appears on websites for Palm devices, claims to allow a person to determine a man's penis size by using his shoe size.
Checker, 71, is best known for his 1960 hit "The Twist" which spawned a dance craze during the decade that followed.