Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Indiana
Celebrities have some protection when people take their pictures without permission. Can the same be said of the average individual, especially when the picture is then posted on the internet???
Asked on 2/13/10, 11:01 am
1 Answer from Attorneys
Jay Rigdon
Rockhill Pinnick LLP
Celebrities have NO such protection. That is why you see features in the tabloids with A-Rod and strippers, or actresses without makeup and "looking fat". The only protection is in commercial advertisements, if someone uses a photo of Tiger Woods to sell cologne, cars, etc. They have to have permission to do that, and the same would apply for "normal people" in theory, though establishing the value of such an implicit endorsement might be difficult.
Answered on 2/19/10, 11:07 am