Supreme Court of California

Comic books at issue contain significant creative elements that transform them into something more than mere celebrity likenesses, thus the comic books are entitled to First Amendment protection to trump the statutory right of publicity in an action alleging appropriation of musicians' names and likenesses under Civil Code section 3344.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/02/2003
• Published 06/02/2003

Judges

• CHIN, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
•  Gipson, Hoffman & Pancione, Julia L. Ross, Berkeley, Corey J. Spivey;  Greenberg Traurig and Vincent H. Chieffo, Santa Monica, for Plaintiffs and Appellants.,  Victoria T. Vaught and Steven Springer, Morgan Hill, for National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Weissmann, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman & Silverman, Weissmann, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman, Silverman & Holmes, Weissmann, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman, Grodin & Evall, Michael Bergman, Anjani Mandavia, Beverly Hills, and Julie B. Waldman for Defendants and Respondents., Eugene Volokh;  David S. Welkowitz and Tyler T. Ochoa, Costa Mesa, as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Respondents., Loeb & Loeb, Douglas E. Mirell and Joseph Geisman, Century City, for the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., Association of American Publishers, Inc., Authors Guild, Inc., Publishers Marketing Association, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Dramatists Guild of America, Inc., PEN American Center, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and Freedom to Read Foundation as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Respondents.