Found that perfect photo for your magazine ad? Or that perfect piece of background music? Before you use it, make sure you have permission from the owner of the work, the creator of the work, and individuals who appeared in the work. Who knew it was so complicated?
The right of publicity limits the use of another person’s name, likeness and/or identity, for profit. While for many years, the right of publicity only applied to a person’s name or likeness, courts now apply this right to virtually anything that connotes the identity of another, for instance, look-alikes, sound-alikes, a nickname, or a catch-phrase associated with a famous person.
While this might limit the right to freely use another person’s identity, celebrities, after all, make their money off their name and face. therefore, in many cases, they were willing to license themselves for commercial purposes. This is where our experience helps. We can negotiate the rights you need so you do not violate rights of publicity.
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