The right of publicity happens everywhere you look. Yet when you mention the term, most people will give you a quizzical look. What is Right of publicity you ask? And how does it fit into the licensing industry? Basically it’s a person’s inherent right to make money out of his or her name, image, likeness and other elements of their persona. Why should licensing professionals care about right of publicity in their daily practice?
Well, look around. Licensing of a person’s (primarily celebrity types) name, image or likeness is evident in products sold everywhere – brick and mortar stores, pop-up shops, online shops, mobile phone apps, and social media. Celebrity licensing is big business, and at one time, if not all the time, you will have to deal with celebrity licensing, and
hence, right of publicity issues.