Mark Lemley <mlemley[_at_]mail.law.utexas.edu> wrote:
>
> I just saw the movie Contact. It contains approximately 3 minutes
> worth of speeches "by" Bill Clinton, which were actually created by
> the movie producer from existing film clips of Clinton. Clinton
> apparently did not approve this use, and was not paid.
>
> Is there any reason this wouldn't violate the right of publicity
> in California?
Yes. It's not a commercial exploitation of Clinton's image. Meaning it wasn't used to sell anything. The fact that the film itself made money doesn't mean the use was commercial. Also, I'm not sure Clinton can invoke the California statute, not being a Californian.
That's at least how I understand it. I don't profess to be an expert on California's RoP statute.
Bob Cumbow
<cumbr[_at_]perkinscoie.com>
Received on Fri Aug 01 1997 - 07:23:03 GMT
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