You can't just stick anyone's face on a T-shirt. Particularly if you want to sell that apparel later. Celebrity faces on tees are a trend this week thanks to two lawsuits, one involving the mug of vocalist Rihanna and the other featuring the face of deceased comedian Richard Pryor. The former came to a decision this week and the latter is just getting fired up. Check out the details.
Rihanna
Our first story comes straight to us from NME so as you can guess, it takes place primarily in the UK. The pop star brought suit against clothing retailer Topshop and its parent company Arcadia regarding a tee the store offered during 2013.
The shirt did in fact feature a photo of the performer, one taken by a freelance photographer while she was working on a music video for "We Found Love" in Ireland. The issue the court had to deal with was whether the image, although belonging to a photographer who was compensated for his work by Topshop, violated the rights of its subject matter when it appeared on a shirt. A court and later an appeals court confirmed that since the clothing item looked as though it would have been licensed by Rihanna, it was a deceptive product.
No word on a settlement as of yet.
Richard Pryor
FretShirt, a California company, is offering a T-shirt featuring a black-and-white portrait of the famous comedian, along with the caption "swag" at the bottom. His wife, Jennifer Pryor, has sued, claiming responsibility as the manager for his image.
Her claims aren't without precedent...if you've seen Pryor's image on anything following his death in 2005. She served as an executive producer for the documentary on his life, Richard Pryor: Omit The Logic-and is executive producing the biopic currently in the works. Basically, if you want Pryor's name or image attached to something, get her permission first.
She's seeking $5 million for the profits from the shirt, $1 million in compensatory damages and an injunction against producing more of the shirt.
No word on whether she disagrees with "swag" as an excellent summary of her husband's life.
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