Chubby Checker sues Hewlett-Packard over penis-measuring app

In a move that’s not really all that surprising, ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll star Chubby Checker is suing Hewlett-Packard over an app that uses his name as an euphemism for penis size.

The "Chubby Checker" app for Palm OS, claims to guess the size of a man’s …er…”chubby”…based on shoe size.

Now, the 71-year-old Twist singer, whose real name is Ernest Evans, is suing the technology powerhouse for US $500 million, claiming the app has done “irreparable damage” to his reputation.

"He's hurt," his lawyer Willie Gary tells the Associated Press. "He worked hard to build his name and reputation over the years.”

"We cannot sit idly and watch as technology giants, or anyone else, exploits the name or likeness of an innocent person with the goal of making millions of dollars."

Lawyers filed a cease and desist order against HP and its subsidiary Palm in September 2012, and now they’ve launched a trademark infringement case.

Here’s the app’s description from its creator Magic Apps Online: “…Any of you ladies out there just start seeing someone new and wondering what the size of there [sic] member is. Well now you can right now from your phone. All you need to do is find out the man's shoe size and plug it in and don't worry where your [sic] from because “The Chubby Checker” supports shoe measurements of different regions and types. Now with “The Chubby Checker” there is no need for disappointment or surprise...”

Sounds legitimate enough, doesn’t it?

According to an HP spokesperson, the offending application was “removed in September 2012 and is no longer on any Palm or HP-hosted website.”

It’s not clear how many people actually got the app before it was removed – but WebOSNation, which monitors the use of Palm smartphones, claims it was only downloaded 84 times since its release in 2011.