Ducati's Claudio Domenicali sparks legal battle

Following the launch of the new 2007 models in Milan, Ducati is under fire for stealing Fox Television Network's copyright material from the famous TV cartoon The Simpsons. Rupert Murdoch's company lawyers have issued the complaint claiming that Ducati's Claudio Domenicali character is based entirely upon Montgomery Burns, the egocentric head of Springfield's nuclear power plant (above right).

Motorcycle industry bosses are both shocked and angered that Ducati could stoop so low as to field one of their key management members in such a blatantly copied character, but the International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association is playing the scandal down.

"While we agree that Domenicali seems to be almost entirely based upon the cartoon character, we must bring focus to the fact that Ducati are once again attracting media attention to motorcycling and that, in itself, is a positive thing. The Japanese manufacturers have clearly been too slow and too stupid to introduce this idea first. We understand from our representative in Rome that Italy is actually very much more advanced in character technology. Just look at their ex-Prime, Minister Silvio Berlusconi (below right), for example, he is almost completely based on Danny Devito (below left)."

Ducati declined to issue an official statement on the current legal wrangle but one insider did admit that Domenicali had recently been seen at his office window looking out across the factory, carefully placing his fingertips together and saying "e-x-c-e-l-l-e-n-t" quite a lot. The anonymous South African informer, who has clearly lost the plot, also claims that it was radiation from Domenicali's nuclear plant that deformed the 999 so much it had to be launched in 2003 looking like Cyclops.