Can I use a celebrity name on my product?

A good example of a person’s name that has acquired secondary meaning is Gucci in connection with purses. Through a long history of marketing and sales, the average consumer associates Gucci with the product rather than as simply referring to a person.

Can you sell a shirt with a celebrity name on it?

It’s generally not permissible to print celebrity images on merchandise without authorization to do so. Business owners who use celebrity images on T-shirts without permission are potentially setting themselves up for a legal battle that could lead to a big payout to the celebrities involved.

Do celebrities have copyright on their names and their image?

Personality / celebrity rights are protected by both federal law and in around thirty states. There is an exception under this law that allows the likeness etc. to be used in unique (but not multiple) works of visual art.

Is it legal to use a celebrity’s name for commercial purposes?

However, a name can be used as a trademark to identify a company or product. But using a celebrity’s name for commercial purposes without permission may be a violation of that celebrity’s personality rights , depending on the laws of your jurisdiction.

Can a Celebrity’s Name be copyrighted?

No, names can’t be copyrighted, but, depending on where they live, celebrity names may be protected. In California, celebrity names are protected even after their death by the California Celebrities Rights Act – Wikipedia (Hollywood is in California after all.)

Are movie characters protected by copyright law?

Famous franchise movie characters, like Rambo, Snake Plisskin, and RoboCop, are protected by copyright law because of the copyright in the film and script, but only to the extent of the creative expression by the author.

Is it copyright infringement to use stock RoboCop characters?

As I said earlier, copyright law does not protect stock characters. Consequently, any use of a gun-toting cyborg won’t be considered copyright infringement of RoboCop until that cyborg looks and acts like RoboCop.