Famed Scientist’s Institute Sues Food Company, Alleging Unpaid Royalties

A nonprofit group led by the renowned primatologist Jane Goodall is suing a baby-food company it claims failed to make promised royalty payments from a new product bearing her name, writes the New York Post.

The Jane Goodall Institute says it is owed $720,000 by Sprout Foods, which last year licensed the name and image of the chimpanzee expert and animal-rights activist for a vegetarian baby food called Janey Baby, with a share of sales revenue benefiting the charity.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges Sprout never marketed Janey Baby and has not made promised quarterly payments to the institute, which canceled the contract last month.

Sprout, which was co-founded by the restaurateur and Food Network personality Tyler Florence, contends the deal with Ms. Goodall was negotiated without authority by the company’s now-former chief executive.