When news got out that multi-platinum and veteran singer Bob Dylan was trying to stop the movie 'Factory Girl' from being released nationally on December 29, people's instant reaction was: 'why would he bother with such crap?'.

Considering that the producers and the cast had to go back to work on it a month before the release, because it received such negative reviews from those persons who went to its free screening, Dylan should not complicate his life with useless trials, they said. However, the singer is very concerned about the movie coming out because he is wrongfully portrayed in it, and not because he cares about its quality.

The plot tells the story of Andy Warhol and his protege, Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller). She died at a very young age, after becoming a drug addict and overdosing on barbiturates in 1971 but not before she befriended Bob Dylan, with whom she was also rumored to have had a romance.

According to the singer's lawyers, the script of the film implies that Sedgwick killed herself only after she had been dumped by Dylan, which practically makes him her murderer. Of course, Dylan's character does not appear in 'Factory Girl' as such, but elements that were (and still are) characteristic to him can be easily identified in Danny Quinn.

'You appear to be laboring under the misunderstanding that merely changing the name of a character or making him a purported fictional composite will immunize you from suit. That is not so. Even though Mr Dylan's name is not used, the portrayal remains both defamatory and a violation of Mr Dylan's right of publicity. Until we are given an opportunity to view the film, we hereby demand that all distribution and screenings ... immediately be ceased', a letter sent by Dylan's attorney to the producers of 'Factory Girl' read.

Until now, the movie studio and the producers only confirmed that they have been served with the letter of 'cease and desist', refusing to make any further comment on the situation.