Egon Spengler
Master Member
How do Celebrity look-a-likes deal with copyright laws? How does that stuff work when they get hired to show up at places?
How do Celebrity look-a-likes deal with copyright laws?
- Thread starter Egon Spengler
- Start date
Depends on location.
You're not going to get very far being an illegal Elvis Impersonator in Vegas, but here in Indiana, I doubt anyone will be collecting fees.
I can always ask my friend Matt Ryan, who does the best Springsteen show, outside of Bruce himself. He's based in Vegas, but travels the world. I know he has to pay Bruce royalties, but I doubt Bruce is charging for his likeness (which is uncanny).
You're not going to get very far being an illegal Elvis Impersonator in Vegas, but here in Indiana, I doubt anyone will be collecting fees.
I can always ask my friend Matt Ryan, who does the best Springsteen show, outside of Bruce himself. He's based in Vegas, but travels the world. I know he has to pay Bruce royalties, but I doubt Bruce is charging for his likeness (which is uncanny).
cayman shen
Master Member
I was told I look like Moby.
Jerks.
Jerks.
Solo4114
Master Member
Actually, copyright has nothing to do with being a lookalike. That's usually covered under state law relating to right to privacy or right to publicity (a concept unique to California, I believe).
I would figure that those who do it on the up and up go about it the way Mic describes -- go through SAG and negotiated contracts. Those who don't...I guess they pray a lot and hope that whoever the celebrity is that they're impersonating never finds out or doesn't care. Otherwise, depending on where the impersonation happens and (potentially) where the celebrity resides, they have to fight it out in court. But pretty much, if you look like Levar Burton and go around to cons advertising yourself as "TV's Levar Burton!", you're buckin' for a lawsuit because you're capitalizing on Levar Burton's fame.
slave1pilot
Sr Member
Here's a pic of Matt Ryan as Bruce
and also a "Sample" of him doing a cover of Bruce
http://www.thankscaptainobviousmp3.net/content/Something In The Night.mp3
Hopefully he sounds more like him in other songs :lol
Slave, where did you find that sound clip? Doesn't sound like Matt at all.
Here is his promo video. He is the one I built the Springsteen clone for. I get an email almost daily from him telling me much he loves it
YouTube - Bruce in the USA
Here is his promo video. He is the one I built the Springsteen clone for. I get an email almost daily from him telling me much he loves it
YouTube - Bruce in the USA
Ttaskmaster
Well-Known Member
To a great extent, you can do impressions of almost anyone. Impressionists make a living out of it, like Rory Bremner and Phil Cool.
If you happen to look very much like someone, then that's just the way you look.
I'd have thought it's only criminal when you're claiming to be them, particularly if you're impersonating an official like a police officer.
However, outside of an official, I do know that it's not illegal to impersonate a private citizen (in the UK at least), because a PI friend of mine uses this tactic when process serving and such. It is frowned upon, certainly, but it's not actually illegal.
If you happen to look very much like someone, then that's just the way you look.
I'd have thought it's only criminal when you're claiming to be them, particularly if you're impersonating an official like a police officer.
However, outside of an official, I do know that it's not illegal to impersonate a private citizen (in the UK at least), because a PI friend of mine uses this tactic when process serving and such. It is frowned upon, certainly, but it's not actually illegal.
Solo4114
Master Member
Impressions are one thing. That's usually protected under satire/parody and such. Looking like someone is fine too -- it's just how you're born. It's when you start capitalizing on someone else's identity that it becomes a problem (potentially).
And it's not a matter of criminal law, either, but rather civil law. In other words, you end up paying damages to the person whose identity/publicity you used in an unauthorized way, rather than going to jail for it.
The Springsteen dude could find himself it hot water if Bruce himself ever took issue with his activities. Doubly so, actually, if he isn't paying license fees for performing the songs.
And it's not a matter of criminal law, either, but rather civil law. In other words, you end up paying damages to the person whose identity/publicity you used in an unauthorized way, rather than going to jail for it.
The Springsteen dude could find himself it hot water if Bruce himself ever took issue with his activities. Doubly so, actually, if he isn't paying license fees for performing the songs.
Ttaskmaster
Well-Known Member
Well, I never guaranteed anything
I guess if you purposely set out to portray/represent/be/whatever that one person it would be construed as an attempt to assume their identity, in which case all your civil laws and stuff kick in and you get in very hot water.
It can backfire too - Andre Stander, a South African police captain, became one of the country's most famous bank robbers. There was one very unlucky chap who kept getting arrested because he was the dead-on look-alike of Stander!!
Stander himself managed to escape the country by impersonating his own look-alike!!
I guess if you purposely set out to portray/represent/be/whatever that one person it would be construed as an attempt to assume their identity, in which case all your civil laws and stuff kick in and you get in very hot water.
It can backfire too - Andre Stander, a South African police captain, became one of the country's most famous bank robbers. There was one very unlucky chap who kept getting arrested because he was the dead-on look-alike of Stander!!
Stander himself managed to escape the country by impersonating his own look-alike!!
Matt is a legit act. He does his Springsteen show at the Hilton in Vegas. He also has had Clarence Clemons (Bruce's sax player) join them onstage.
and yes, Matt pays royalties for performing the songs.
Egon Spengler
Master Member
Okay, maybe there's a bit of a misunderstanding here. Some post are on topic but some seem to be addressing the issue of actually claiming to be the individual.
I'm simply curious about how people that make a living being celebrity look-a-likes deal with copy right issues.
I'm simply curious about how people that make a living being celebrity look-a-likes deal with copy right issues.
Deric
Sr Member
He sounds good but they sound more like John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band. Which isn't a bad thing since they kinda did the Bruce thing for the movie Eddie and the Cruisers.
Slave, where did you find that sound clip? Doesn't sound like Matt at all.
Here is his promo video. He is the one I built the Springsteen clone for. I get an email almost daily from him telling me much he loves it
YouTube - Bruce in the USA
slave1pilot
Sr Member
Slave, where did you find that sound clip? Doesn't sound like Matt at all.
Here is his promo video. He is the one I built the Springsteen clone for. I get an email almost daily from him telling me much he loves it
YouTube - Bruce in the USA
Here;
Captain Obvious: The Covers Mixtape XXI
I guess it depends on who the celeb is and if their likeness has been protected. James Dean's family have basically Trademarked his image. If you want to use it, you need to contact his family.
Solo4114
Master Member
Yep. Intellectual property was an area I found really interesting in law school, partially because of the props stuff, but also because of other interest in the subject matter. I don't practice IP law, but I still find it really interesting.
FYI, any posts that I put up here are NOT legal advice, and should not be relied upon by ANYONE as such. I'm not anyone's lawyer here, and nobody here is my client.
So there.
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