Re: Rights in real characters

Bob Cumbow <cumbr[_at_]perkinscoie.com> wrote:
>
> Bob Panzer <bigbusie[_at_]aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > It is my understanding that because politicians are the "ultimate"
> > public figures they do not benefit from right of publicity (and
> > perhaps privacy) laws that the rest of us enjoy.
>
> Not exactly. Public figures are subject to a diminished right of
> privacy as well as more limited protection against public criticism
> of themselves and their activities. But they do still have SOME
> rights of privacy, and they certainly have rights of publicity. You
> couldn't use the President's face on an ad for shoes or coffee, for
> instance.

So if you can't put the President's face on an ad for shoes or coffee, it would seem reasonable to assume you can't put his face on a t-shirt or mugs without his permission. Further, it would seem correct that in a movie you cannot use the president giving a speech (especially in a changed and out of context way) to help move a movie plot or concept forward no more than you could use Michael Jackson. Something about this doesn't seem right, but I can't nail it down.

Bob Panzer
Executive Director
VAGA
<bigbusie[_at_]aol.com> Received on Fri Aug 08 1997 - 03:40:42 GMT