Pitt Peeved Over Paparazzi Pix

JULY 23--Lawyers for Brad Pitt are threatening legal action against news outlets if photos taken of the actor and his brood at their French estate are published. The images, Pitt's lawyer contends, were "surreptitiously" taken by paparazzi with "highly powerful telephoto lenses," and, if published, would violate the star's privacy rights.

The photos show "Pitt and his family as they engaged in familial activities on private property," according to attorney Yael Holtkamp, who last night sent TSG this legal notice (though in our 11+ years, we've never purchased a single paparazzi photo).

The letter does not further describe the photos of Pitt, who, with partner Angelina Jolie, is reportedly negotiating a multimillion-dollar deal for the first pictures of the couple's twins, born July 12 in France.

Holtkamp, an associate with Los Angeles-based Lavely & Singer, noted that one unnamed photo agency had already sold or licensed the images, but that the firm agreed to "cease and desist from any further sale and dissemination" of the pictures and had them removed them from its web site. (2 pages)