Re: Rights in real characters

On 8/4/97 11:35 Laura N. Gasaway <unclng[_at_]email.unc.edu> wrote:
>
> On Wed, 30 Jul 1997, 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?
>
> Wouldn't it depend on whether the speeches were ones
> made while Clinton was president? Thus, these speeches would be
> public domain.

Is it possible to separate the text of the speech from the image of the president's face and the sound of his voice? Even if the text is in the public domain according to copyright law, could not the president have protected rights in the use of his image or the sound of his voice?

Michael Dodson
<dodsonm[_at_]wane-leon-mail.scri.fsu.edu> Received on Wed Aug 06 1997 - 21:00:30 GMT