[dead]

I love Yeager, but this is a pretty weak suit.

When you're famous, you don't have the right to say your name can't ever be mentioned.

Bill Clinton. Evel Kneivel. Jimmy J.J. Walker. Chet Atkins. Guy Lombardo. Albert Einstein.

[gov_bean_ counter]

I love Yeager, but this is a pretty weak suit.

I agree, however, I think the Virgin is going to be "taken".

[Political Junkie Too]

That may be true. The way this is worded, they're not saying that Yeager is endorsing the product (just that he was historic), and Yeager cannot control the reporting of news about him, past or present.

-PJ

[blackbart.223]

"When you're famous, you don't have the right to say your name can't ever be mentioned."

That is not the issue.

[Tolsti2]

Is he sold old that $ still matters? There’s a nice 80’s video of his flght sim game on archive.org.

I guess he’s looking out for his heirs, but dang.

[Carley]

I’m with you. This seems ridiculous. A lawyer making work for himself must have dreamt this up.

[Moonman62]

When you're famous, you don't have the right to say your name can't ever be mentioned.

Actually, a famous person has more rights than the average peon when it comes to using their names for promotion. I think the context here is that he's mentioned as a historical figure. Plus he was a government employee at the time of the event.

I think Virgin is in the clear, and Yeager looks petty.

[Ditto]

When you're famous, you don't have the right to say your name can't ever be mentioned.

Not true.

[PAR35]

When you're famous, you don't have the right to say your name can't ever be mentioned.

Try using MLK's name commerically, and see how fast you draw a lawsuit.

The technical ground for the suit would fall under invasion of privacy.

There's an article that might be useful to lay folks here: http://www.citmedialaw.org/legal-guide/using-name-or-likeness-another

[arasina]

Weak suit? Famous people do ads all the time to support products and services. They get paid for doing so.

The press release essentially said "Buzz Aldrin and Chuck Yeager would fly Virgin Airlines because of the new in-flight WiFi capabilities". These two airmen's names are nowhere near "generic" or in the public domain, so they should be paid for being used as spokesmen without their consent.