Opinion ID: 1881719
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: statutory right of publicity

Text: The only issue before us concerns the proper construction of KRS 391.170, which creates a posthumous right of publicity and provides: (1) The General Assembly recognizes that a person has property rights in his name and likeness which are entitled to protection from commercial exploitation. The General Assembly further recognizes that although the traditional right of privacy terminates upon death of the person asserting it, the right of publicity, which is a right of protection from appropriation of some element of an individual's personality for commercial exploitation, does not terminate upon death. (2) The name or likeness of a person who is a public figure shall not be used for commercial profit for a period of fifty (50) years from the date of his death without the written consent of the executor or administrator of his estate. The trial court's ruling turned on its interpretation of the term public figure, as: one who has vigorously sought the attention of a national audience and has achieved such a level of success that he is considered a national celebrity. The Court of Appeals disagreed with the trial court on this issue and implied that the trial court's definition was too narrow. Rather, the Court of Appeals concluded that a public figure was a person whose name and likeness had a significant commercial value and affirmed the trial court on grounds that Harold's name and likeness did not reach this threshold. We need not determine the correct definition of public figure, because, as a matter of law, neither Harold's voice nor image was appropriated for commercial profit within the meaning of statute in the music video of John Michael's song I Miss You a Little. While the right of publicity at issue in this case is statutory, we believe that many of the principles of the common-law right of publicity can be used in reaching the proper construction of KRS 391.170. [3]