POP/ROCK - Dec. 25, 1991

Brown Files Suit: Singer James Brown has filed a $3-million suit in a Washington federal court, accusing 20th Century Fox and others of copyright infringement in the hit film “The Commitments.” The movie about an Irish soul band uses Brown’s performance of “Please, Please, Please” from the 1965 “T.A.M.I. Show.” The suit charges that Brown’s music and persona appear “throughout the film, without his permission or consent.” The suit by James Brown Enterprises is also against Beacon Communications and Alan Parker, the producer and director of the movie. The distributor is 20th Century Fox. The suit also seeks to block the release of the movie as a home video or in any broadcast. Fox could not be reached for comment.