Spike Lee settles ‘Spike TV’ lawsuit
Terms not revealed, but Viacom can rename men’s network

NEW YORK, July 7 — Spike TV won’t be getting spiked after all. Filmmaker Spike Lee and Viacom settled a dispute Monday that allows the media giant to rebrand its TNN network as Spike TV, ending a lawsuit that contended the new moniker was a deliberate attempt to hijack Lee’s image.

The judge initially ordered Lee to post a $500,000 bond on June 13 after he issued a temporary injunction against Viacom’s plan to rename TNN. But after a hearing two weeks ago, the judge raised the bond to $2.5 million and gave Lee until Monday to post it.

The additional $2 million was never posted, and the judge vacated the injunction after both sides reached the agreement, said one of Lee’s lawyers, Terry Gross.

“We have settled the case with Viacom,” Gross said. “It’s obviously good when parties settle.”

While the case was pending, Lee was in Los Angeles filming “Sucker-Free City” for Showtime, a cable network owned by Viacom.

Here are the terms of the settlement (most likely)...Viacom will let Spike continue to work for them, they won't sue him into oblivion, and, in return, he won't bring any more stupid ass lawsuits against them. The end.

You know what is obviously good, even more than when the parties settle a lawsuit? When stupid lawsuits are never even filed.

Rest easy now, gentle readers, Spike Lee can now dissolve back into the oblivion of now irrelevant directors.