Supreme Court of California

Reproductions of lithographs and silkscreened T-shirts are equally entitled to First Amendment protection as original works of art but the work in question must add significant creative elements so as to be transformed into something more than a mere celebrity likeness or imitation to defeat a right of publicity claim.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/30/2001
• Published 04/30/2001

Judges

•  MOSK, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
•  Cooper, Kardaras & Scharf, Brand Cooper, Pasadena, Victor E. Aguilera, Sherman Oaks, James C. Potepan, Edward C. Wilde and Stuart L. Brody, Sacramento, for Defendants and Appellants., Benjamin, Lugosi & Benjamin, Bela G. Lugosi, Robert N. Benjamin and Caroline H. Mankey, Glendale, for Plaintiff and Respondent., Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Mark S. Lee, Los Angeles, for The Autry Survivor's Trust, ETW Corporation, The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent., Geffner & Bush, Leo Geffner and Jospeh A. Kohanski, Burbank, for Screen Actors Guild, Inc., as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent., David S. Welkowitz as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent., Margaret A. Boulware;  Ross J. Charap, New York, NY;  Morton D. Goldberg;  Joseph N. Welch, Sacramento;  Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, Joseph F. Jennings, Newport Beach, Joseph S. Cianfrani and Joseph R. Re for American Intellectual Property Law Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent., Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro, Kevin J. Leichter, Los Angeles, Caroline H. Mankey, Glendale;  Law Offices of Robert A. Finkelstein and Robert A. Finkelstein for Wayne Enterprises, Inc., Sheffield Enterprises, Inc., Global Icons LLC and Groucho Marx Productions, Inc., as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent.