Mitch Perry
An attorney for the Lisa Montelione campaign is calling on local television stations to stop airing an ad by her Republican opponent in House District 63, Shawn Harrison, claiming it infringes on copyrighted material of Montelione.
The ad mocks Montelione’s own television ad released last month, which depicted a commercial film set with a director, cameraman, technical crew — but no candidate.
“Seen the Lisa Montelione commercial? You know, the one where she doesn’t show up,” asks the narrator at the beginning of Harrison’s ad, titled, “Where’s Lisa?”
Mark Herron, Montelione’s attorney, says Harrison’s campaign uses, “without authorization, approximately 15 seconds of copyrighted images lifted directly from the prior advertisement by Ms. Montelione’s campaign. That unauthorized use is classic copyright infringement.”
“Shawn Harrison’s clearly illegal actions are the sign of a desperate campaign struggling to stay afloat,” says Anders Croy, communications director for the House & Senate Victory Committee. “This is what a candidate does when his values and record do not align with the district he is seeking to represent. We look forward to this ad being swiftly taken down.”
FloridaPolitics has reached out to Harrison for comment.
The two candidates are locked in what is considered to be a tight battle for the seat, which encompasses parts of New Tampa, Pebble Creek, Lutz, Carrollwood, Lake Magdalene, and the USF area.
