Posted on 03/25/2006 4:25:33 PM PST by Fintan
HARTFORD, Conn. - Three familiar faces from Hollywood urged Connecticut legislators yesterday to help protect their images.
Actors Paul Newman, Christopher Plummer and Charles Grodin, all state residents, said they worry that technology has made it possible to access their films, images and voices, and to use that material to produce another product they know nothing about.
"We are suddenly cloned into something we're not," Plummer said. "We are robbed of our individuality, and our life's work is tarnished."
A bill before the legislature's Judiciary Committee would forbid use of another person's "right of publicity," such as their name, voice, signature, photo, image, likeness, distinctive appearance, gestures or mannerisms, for commercial purposes without proper consent.
The legislation would extend that right until 70 years after the person's death.
The Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the major film studios, opposes the bill in its current form. It fears the legislation could infringe on filmmakers' rights of expression and their ability to use old footage in their movies.
Stephen E. Nevas, a Westport attorney, said 19 states have enacted similar laws. There is a presumed right in Connecticut, he said, but legislators have never spelled out the details.
In addition, inexpensive computer technology makes it possible for someone to produce a new movie by reediting the original, Newman told the legislative committee.
"They could make a whole movie that looked like me, talked like me, acted like me, sounded like me, but wasn't me," he said.
Vans Stevenson, the motion picture association's senior vice president for state government affairs, said copyright law already covers some of those concerns. Also, in 1983, the Connecticut Supreme Court determined the state's privacy laws address a person's name or likeness.
The bill could even prevent parody of famous people, he said.
"Our position basically is, common law covers this," Stevenson said.
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Okay, here's a picture of Charles Grodin. So sue me. |
Would make a funny South Park episode. Where the actors are watching themselves on t.v but it's not them. Oh yeah and Kenny dies.
Oh yeah and while on tv, being that it's not really them they could say something nice and patriotic about their country.
Hopefully not this way!
LOL. :)
I for one wish I had the capital and know-how to use the latest MacIntosh computer system and video camcorder and make me a conservative film straight to DVD and become filthy rich.
Frankly, I'd love to see all of Chuckie Grodin's movie digitally edited to remove him.
wow , all these years i thought it was charles scrotum. oh well, learn something new every day. ;^)
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Actually, I think we owe Chuckie thanks...he pioneered the failed leftist talk-show format on PMSNBC. |
If it weren't for him, Air America & Keith Olbermann wouldn't be tanking as badly.
Newman said: "They could make....sounded like me, but wasn't me."
This has surely happened already, Paul.
I mean, well, you have raced cars, and maybe still do. Burning all that fuel, poluting the air; and burning rubber, burning brake pads, which the dust ends up washed into local rivers and streams.
But in certain advertisements, there is this imposter claiming to be you, telling us to preserve the environment.
:-/ sarc
So will this end the careers of impersenators then?
The bill could even prevent parody of famous people, he said.I guess Robert Smigel, Gary Trudeau, and every other cartoonist will be out of business then.
And I guess we won't be seeing any more faked black-and-white footage of Colonel Sanders in KFC commercials.
:') Or of his cartoon version, rapping. ;')
"A bill before the legislature's Judiciary Committee would forbid use of another person's "right of publicity," such as their name, voice, signature, photo, image, likeness, distinctive appearance, gestures or mannerisms, for commercial purposes without proper consent."
Fortunately for us, we're not trying to make any money off of this stuff - We're only hoping to help keep the Elitist Liberal Cabal from STEALING the limited property and other resources we already own!
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