Sandra Bullock and Ellen DeGeneres Are Suing Pop-Up Websites

Cortney, 44. You get an afternoon to yourself. How do you spend it? What is that? I don't understand what that is. An afternoon to myself. Don't know what that is. But I wouldn't change that. Hi, I'm Sandra Bullock. And I am answering InStyle's readers' questions. Didn't sound right, did it? No. Okay, Ruthie, 30 asks, what's the easiest thing to cook if you're a bad cook and want to try to impress someone? First of all, don't pretend like you can cook when you can't. I say you call Postmates and you have them do the cooking for you So you can just enjoy good company, and not be a liar. Because that's going to catch up, it did to me. Macey, 29, asks, 'What's a polite way to end a conversation at a party?'. Say, 'I need to use the restroom,' and don't come back. Jennifer, 28, asks, 'I'm about to meet my new boyfriend's parents for the first time. Any advice? What should I wear?' Well, I say you should wear a sense of humor. Wear a lot of kindness, because those parents probably loved the hell out of their sun. So just show them what an amazing woman you are, and that you're gonna be good to him. And be good to the momma, because one day that's gonna happen to me, and that girl better be good to me. Marie, 34, asks how do I make my child feel special without spoiling them or overdoing it? If what you're doing is loving them you can never overdo it, if you're buying them stuff stop, just love them. It's usually the look in your eye that makes them feel special, not something in a box that you bought. Alexandra, 34, I have a friend who makes snide comments about by parenting, How should I deal with it? First question is do they have kids? If not, ask them to be the parent of your household for a week while you go to a spa and then comeback and see if she still says the same thing. Marie, 23, what does your ideal Friday night look like? Four of us piled on a bed watching cartoons that I don't understand and falling asleep with hot limbs all over your body and then carrying little people to bed. It's the best, it's the best. I usually fall asleep first. Joan, 33, what's the least glamorous part of getting ready for the rec carpet? Everything, everything, it's scary doing red carpet. You're usually In something that does not fit well as it should cuz you eat too much on your last movie.i think everbody feels as good as it might end up looking on the red carpet.i think men feels great than women. Allison 30,can you tell us what it was like on the set of Ocean's 8,working with so many incredibly talented women? Is there a particularly Special moment you experienced with your costars you can share. The operative phrase being that I can share. Yeah, there's was a lot a good times. For some reason what's coming to mind is that Helen Bonham Carter was like a cat. I could take the laser pointer, and just at random moments I would point the laser pointer on the floor, and she would jump out the chair and follow it like a human cat, was Incredibly impressive. Sarah Paulson trying to sing like Rihanna. Never sounded like Rihanna. But she tried. We had a pretty good time.

For the last two years, Sandra Bullock and Ellen DeGeneres have been elbows-deep in a legal battle over online pop-ups. You know them: companies that you've never heard of using celebrity faces and fake endorsements to sell things via online pop-ups. The New York Times reports that Bullock and DeGeneres finally went public with their efforts, filing an official lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. They're fighting for "right of publicity," which "protects the use of their names and likenesses to endorse products." There's a long fight ahead, because the Times notes that the stars' legal teams don't actually know who to sue. The defendants are simply listed as John Does Nos. 1 through 100.

"These companies change names frequently, merge in and out of entities formed in states that allow for secrecy, operate websites that pop up and disappear overnight, and generally do everything possible to 'stay one step ahead of the sheriff,'" the complaint reads. Now that the initial complaint has been filed, Bullock’s lawyer, Michael J. Kump, and DeGeneres's, Michael E. Weinsten, can issue subpoenas to find the identities of the individuals behind the scam.

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The Times adds that the practice of using a celebrity's face without their permission is more commonly known as "celebrity endorsement theft." The easiest way for scammers to do it is to set up a fake news site that looks similar to something such as Men's Health or Good Housekeeping, use a photo of the celebrity, and then link to a product that claims to be something the star endorses, even though it's not. Examples presented to the court include "Sandra Bullock Talks About Her New Skin Care Line" and "Sandra even admitted that plastic surgeons are furious with her after noticing a large decline in patients." Between DeGeneres and Bullock, more than 40 beauty products were named in the lawsuit.

"The celebrity endorsement-theft business model is based on a scheme to trick consumers into disclosing their credit card and/or debit card information in order to enroll them in costly programs with undisclosed, or poorly disclosed, recurring charges," the suit continues. The documents add that the products "typically include unsubstantiated claims that the products will lead to dramatic results."

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DeGeneres and Bullock's suit adds that the faux ads could make them lose any credibility if they were to pursue legitimate partnerships. Oprah Winfrey, Sally Field, Kelly Ripa, and even Denzel Washington have also fallen victim to endorsement theft.

The Federal Trade Commission reports that shoppers have fallen prey to the scams and have paid more than $179 million over the last five years. In addition to beauty products, scammers use celebrities to promote weight-loss, muscle-building, and erectile dysfunction aids.

"It's hard to track down the perpetrators of this kind of fraud," Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy at the Consumer Federation of America explained. "All of this subterfuge is necessary in order to extend the scam for as long as possible."