Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Massachusetts
Dr. Seuss Room
Our local children's museum wants to name one of its new meeting rooms the Dr. Seuss Room in honor of the author's contribution to children's lives. Is there a legal problem, copyright or whatever with doing this?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Dr. Seuss Room
You ought to contact the estate. My guess is that they will be happy with your doing so, but they may require disclaimers or whatever so they're not sued when some kid get sick after visiting your museum.
Besides liability issues, Dr. S's name is his estate's intellectual property, specifically a trademark, and a use of it which is unauthorized can in theory "water down" the commercial value of it. Further, there are statutes which protect a person's name and face from unauthorized commercial use.
Frankly, if you adorned the wall with some of his characters, it sounds like a great place to visit. What town or city are you in? I have a 3 and a 7 year old who might be interested when it's done.
Anyway, don't be afraid to contact the estate of Dr. S. If you need any help with that, please contact me at (617) 527-0050.
If you've already resolved this, please tell me how it went by e-mail. Thank you!