A wax statue of Jennifer Lopez at Madame Tussaud’s in London. (AFP)

London, June 2: Madame Tussaud’s is being sued for ?20 million by one of the world’s biggest giftmakers over a deal to produce merchandise featuring the famous faces in its waxworks.

Living Picture, the Switzerland-based toy manufacturer behind Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings merchandise, claims that Madame Tussaud’s reneged on a licensing contract last year.

In an action lodged at the High Court yesterday, the company alleges that the Tussauds group abandoned the contract when it realised that it was not able to give Living Picture the license for using celebrity images.

A spokesman for Tussauds said: “Madame Tussaud’s business is built on over 200 years of strong relationships and trust with the famous figures we portray. We absolutely reject these apparent claims. We have been given expert legal advice and we will vigorously defend any action taken against us.”

According to Living Picture, Tussauds had agreed that the faces of a number of its waxworks, including Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant, Madonna and Pope John Paul II, could be reproduced on a host of artefacts, from candles, holograms and cigarette cases to pens and paperweights.

It claims that it was only after the manufacturer went into production that Tussauds realised that it would incur the wrath of celebrities if their images were on knick-knacks around the world.

Living Picture claims that initially it was assured by Tussauds that reproducing waxworks of well-known figures would cause no problems. However, the firm says that after production began the waxworks company began to withdraw permission.