Uma Thurman files counter-suit against cosmetics firm Lancome

Hollywood actress Uma Thurman on Friday responded to French cosmetics giant Lancome's lawsuit against her by countersuing the company for $15m over the use of her name and face in advertising campaigns after her contract had expired.

The "Kill Bill" star on Friday filed a countersuit in Manhattan federal court, seeking $15 million in damages. In her counter-suit, the 38-year-old actress claimed Lancome Parfums et Beaute & Cie boosted its sales by allowing her image to be used on Canadian billboards and Asian web sites after her contract expired.

Thurman, the star of films including "Pulp Fiction" and "Dangerous Liaisons," said she signed on as a spokeswoman for the cosmetics company, owned by L'Oreal, in 2000 but her name and image continued to pop up on the company's campaign after her contract expired in September 2004 in Europe and December 2004 in the rest of the world.

In the lawsuit, Thurman's lawyer, Bertram Fields, claims that "The worldwide and unauthorized use of Thurman's name and likeness for years after the expiration dates significantly diluted the value of Thurman's name and likeness for advertising or promotional purposes."

"Celebrities will now be careful about doing deals with Lancome," he added. "They continued to use her photographs long after the contract was over."

The lawsuit also claimed that the company gave the "false impression" Thurman was still linked to Lancome.

Thurman's counter-suit comes two days after the French makeup giant filed a preemptive suit about the matter on Wednesday in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan. In its lawsuit, Lancome claimed it did not violate its contract, insisting the contract clearly specifies they are not responsible for any third parties using her name and photograph after the contract expires.

"The use of Ms. Thurman's image after her contract expired, however minor, was neither deliberate nor intentional," L'Oreal spokeswoman Jennifer James said in a statement.

Born in Boston on April 29, 1970, Thurman is one of the most renowned actors of her generation. She made her film debut in 1987's Kiss Daddy Goodnight, a forgettable film that cast her as a teen vamp who seduces and robs unsuspecting men. Her most popular films include Dangerous Liaisons in 1988, Pulp Fiction in 1994, Gattaca in1997 and the two Kill Bill movies in 2003 and 2004, respectively.