Tag Archives: right of publicity

The truth is out there, but it might violate the right of publicity

Posted on April 9, 2018 by

Scott v. Citizen Watch Co., No. 17-cv-00436-NC, 2018 WL 1626773 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 4, 2018) This case would be the poster child for the need for a true reckoning between modern right of publicity law and the modern First Amendment, … Continue reading →

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Feud lawsuit foiled, but questions about transformativeness remain

Posted on March 27, 2018 by

De Havilland v. FX Networks, LLC, No. B285629 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 26, 2018) Reversing the trial court’s refusal to dismiss Olivia de Havilland’s right of publicity and false light claims against FX’s show Feud, the California court of appeals … Continue reading →

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Truthful identification of performance defeats Illinois publicity claim

Posted on March 19, 2018 by

Martin v. Wendy’s Int’l, Inc., — Fed.Appx. —-, 2018 WL 1225470, No. 17-2043 (7th Cir. Mar. 9, 2018) “Guinness World Records lists Johannes “Ted” Martin as the record holder for consecutive kicks of a footbag.” He sued Wendy’s International and … Continue reading →

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unauthorized sale of model’s photos leads to internally inconsistent TM/ROP ruling

Posted on March 9, 2018 by

Passelaigue v. Getty Images (US), Inc., 2018 WL 1156011, No. 16-CV-1362 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 1, 2018) Elodie Passelaigue is a professional fashion model who sued under the Lanham Act, Washington state law, and New York law against Getty, Bill Diodato Photography, … Continue reading →

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False endorsement: some bad questions to ask in a survey

Posted on February 23, 2018 by

Gibson v. BTS North, Inc., 2018 WL 888872, No. 16-24548 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 14, 2018) Plaintiffs are professional models, actresses, and/or businesswoman who earn their livings by promoting her image, likeness, and/or identity to select clients, commercial brands, media, and … Continue reading →

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New York GBL Section 349 covers ordinary trademark claims, court rules

Posted on January 31, 2018 by

Mayes v. Summit Entertainment Corp., No. 16-CV-06533, 2018 WL 566314 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 18, 2017) (magistrate judge) Plaintiffs, eight professional models and actresses, alleged that the owners and operators of a strip club on Long Island (Summit) unlawfully used Plaintiffs’ images … Continue reading →

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Roundtable: The Right of Publicity in New York, St. John’s University

Posted on December 8, 2017 by

An Academic Discussion of Policy Choices in Designing a Publicity/Privacy Rights Regime: Rothman, Buccafusco, & Tushnet The roundtable is on the proposed changes to NY’s ROP, which are very extensive. [I didn’t take notes early on, sorry, but Prof. Rothman … Continue reading →

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