The legality of resemblance.

[med_breeder]

Recently an Old Navy ad turned many heads. It starred a Canadian singer (Melissa Molinaro).

The thing is According to many she strikes a resemblance to Kim Kardashian.

She has threatened to sue.

last fall during the mid terms,
many republicans used the same voice artist that sounds very much like Morgan Freeman.

Freeman's camp also threatened to sue.

Both ads never claimed to be their respective look and sound alikes.

I know it's illegal to use one's likeness or image without consent.
But what if you just happen to look like or sound like a famous person.

More so with the sound alike.
I'm starting to hear Morgan Freeman sound alikes popping up everywhere.

Legally nothing can be done right?

 

[SacredTHCRitual]

hmmmm what if you took somebody like Arnold governator's voice that sounds real distinct and flipped it up

 

[Stoner4Life]

back in the 70s when Colombo Yogurt really hit its stride in the marketplace they were doing radio commercials w/a sound-alike actor doing a Peter Falk/Columbo imitation. I'm not sure if it actually went to a lawsuit but they were forced to put in a disclaimer (@ the end of each commercial) that it was NOT Falk/Columbo. granted that this crossed the line in 2 ways, both name & voice recognition and it was well understood that the Columbo character was the intellectual property of the TV series and was not to be freely traded on.......

 

[Stoner4Life]

Recently an Old Navy ad turned many heads. It starred a Canadian singer (Melissa Molinaro).

The thing is According to many she strikes a resemblance to Kim Kardashian.

She has threatened to sue.

Legally nothing can be done right?

in this case no. imo Kardashian who is just a whore, kunt, skanky slut has zero chance of prevailing here. what look does she own outright? a black mini dress and long hair? NOT unique by ANY stretch of the imagination. now if Melissa Molinaro was a somewhat lookalike to Lady Gaga & started dressing up in stupid fucking costumes then surely she'd have a lawsuit on her hands.

 

[rick shaw]

A seed seller on this site is using copyrighted logo's without permission,whats your point.

 

[McSnappler]

There is a Morgan Freeman soundalike doing voiceover for 'More Than' car insurance adverts in the UK right now..

At the end of the ad, he even says.. "This is More Than Freeman"..

 

[kaotic]

So, Billy Ray Cyrus is going to sue all the mullet infested rednecks in my area?

 

[greenmatter]

So, Billy Ray Cyrus is going to sue all the mullet infested rednecks in my area?

if he thought he could win he would try

 

[med_breeder]

There is a Morgan Freeman soundalike doing voiceover for 'More Than' car insurance adverts in the UK right now..

At the end of the ad, he even says.. "This is More Than Freeman"..

"The is more than Freeman." <------sneaky!

 

[HempKat]

The ad for Old Navy should win against Kim Kardashian unless she can somehow prove that Old Navy was trying to make people think it was her. Being a performer it's quite possible Old Navy hired her for reasons other then who she looks like.

Now the one on the voice is a little different. If the ads in which the voice was used made it clear it wasn't Morgan Freeman then they law suit should fail. However if nothing made that clear then the fame and widespread recognition of Morgan Freeman and his voice plus the fact that campaign ads often used famous people to lend credibility to their claims. That one may stand a chance.

In either case I don't think it would be the look a like or sound a like who gets sued but rather the companies or organizations that tried to use them in a misleading way in their ads.

 

[Deft]

The only reason I know anything about kardashian or gaga is because I heard about them on south park..

 

[zeppelindood]

A seed seller on this site is using copyrighted logo's without permission

Are you sure they don't have blessings?