Judge Gerhard A. Gesell of the U.S....

Judge Gerhard A. Gesell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that J & L Distributors must pay Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. $90,000 in statutory damages, $20,000 in attorney’s fees and other costs for manufacturing illegal T-shirts and sweat shirts depicting Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. They were sold by street vendors on the Capitol Mall and around the District of Columbia. J & L grosses an estimated $1 million a year through the sales. Gesell noted that J & L compounded the damage by using illegal printers in other cities that subsequently began independent manufacture of pirated apparel.