LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jack Ass says "Jackass" has given him a bad name.

A Montana man who legally changed his name to Jack Ass in 1997 has sued Viacom Inc., claiming its stunt-heavy, gross-out TV show and movie "Jackass" had defamed his character.

In a suit filed in November in Montana and posted this week on a legal Web site, Jack Ass, who said he changed his name to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving, claimed Viacom was "liable for injury to my reputation that I have built and defamation of my character which I have worked so hard to create."

The suit asks for damages of $10 million or more. Jack Ass is representing himself.

Jack Ass, a journeyman power lineman by trade, said he changed his name from Bob Craft in late 1997 as part of a personal crusade against drunk driving after his brother and a friend were killed in a car crash. Theirs was the only vehicle involved.

Jack Ass runs a Web site centered around a donkey-like cartoon character "Andi Ass," which touts T-shirts, baseball caps, souvenir beer bottles and a message of responsible drinking.