Strike a pose: Real estate agent sued over stretched-arm stance

PHOTO: An international arms race has erupted over a pose.

Minnesota real estate agent claims pose is his property.

Kris Lindahl, a Minnesota’s realtor, sued Canadian agent Rob Golfi, saying he stole a signature posture, FOX 9 reported. Lindahl, whose website calls his firm the “arms out real estate company,” and whose image is plastered on billboards throughout the Twin Cities, alleges copyright infringement.

Golfi attended a seminar on real estate marketing taught by Lindahl and signed an agreement that he wouldn’t use the Minnesotan’s intellectual property without authorization. The Hamilton, Ontario-based broker then used the “arms outstretched” pose, for which Lindahl has applied for a trademark, in a marketing campaign, violating the deal.

The RE/MAX broker’s use of the pose causes, “irreparable and immeasurable harm with each passing day,” Lindahl told the outlet. It depicts “a human shown from chest up, smiling and looking straight ahead, with arms outstretched slightly higher than perpendicular to the torso and fingers splayed,” the TV station reported, citing his application for a trademark.

Legal fights aren’t rare in the real estate world, although litigation rarely revolves around human arms. Recent lawsuits include the allegations that Related Companies had a “poor door” for residents of 15 Hudson Yards. A judge threw out the case earlier this month.