French cosmetics firm Lancome had sued actress Uma Thurman over the use of her name and face in advertising campaigns. The “Kill Bill” star claimed the company used her name on Canadian billboards and Asian Web sites after the contract expired and that she is entitled to $1 million as a result.

“Celebrities will now be careful about doing deals with Lancome,” said Thurman’s lawyer Bert Fields, according to Reuters. “They continued to use her photographs long after the contract was over.”

In her 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,” according to E! Online.

Thurman and the company signed a two-year contract in April 2000, with an option to extend the agreement for another two years. The company agreed to pay Thurman $5.8 million for the first two years and $3.1 million for each additional year.

Thurman's lawyer Bertram Fields said: “I thought we were negotiating in good faith. I guess the French decided to strike a pre-emptive blow.”

Lancome denied that the use of her image by third parties were its responsibility and filed papers in Manhattan's state Supreme Court on Wednesday. But lawyers tried to reach an agreement in the dispute.

Lancome said the contract specifies that the company is not responsible if third parties used her name and face after the contract expired. L'Oreal spokeswoman Jennifer James said in a statement, “The use of Ms. Thurman's image after her contract expired, however minor, was neither deliberate nor intentional.” She added the company declined to comment further in legal matters.