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In 2008, Robbert de Klerk, a family law attorney in Los Angeles, Want to change jobs That’s when he learned of a tantalizing opportunity: Humphrey Bogart’s estate was hiring a CEO. Bogart’s son runs his late father’s business But he wanted to find a lawyer to protect and promote the actor’s name. By 2009, De Klerk had that in the works.
Bogart – best known as the cocky nightclub owner from Casablanca and private investigator Scott Sling from maltese falcon– Died since 1950, but his legacy is big business. Because the face of fountain peng Gucci sweaterand formerly known as ก Gin brandHe is also just one of many celebrities who have been resurrected to sell merchandise. Marilyn’s name Monroe was used to peddle lipstick, adorning Whitney Houston’s clothing. eyeshadow palette– More Death Stars Appear in All New Works: In 2021 A hologram of Houston, who died nine years ago, performed hits such as “I Will Always Love You” at a Las Vegas show. An AI-generated James Dean will appear in a new film. Come back to Eden.– Simulacrums of Dean (died 69 years old), Judy Garland (died 55 years old) and Burt Reynolds (died six years old) Describe books and articles In the app of an AI company
Brokering these deals is like de Klerk: a lawyer but also a talented manager and Long time fans which represents the estates of celebrities Real estate covers all of a person’s physical assets. and for famous people They can control how their names and images appear in commercial contexts. and often includes rights to a catalog of their work. (In legal terms, real estate Used only before a will is executed. But in practice Many people use a will long after their inheritance has been settled.) Ownership of real estate often passes to someone’s family. Bogart is still held by his children, however, in recent decades. Many relatives of famous people have chosen to sell their land or portions of it to third-party companies. which can then make a profit Most B-listers didn’t last long after death, but Michael Jackson brought some numbers with him. 600 million USD this year–
Record labels, publishers and movie studios capitalize on the star power of long-dead actors, betting on biopics and reboots to lure old fans and lure new audiences to movie theaters. Estates began claiming this cut a few decades ago, and more recently, the rise of new technologies, especially AI, has opened up more profit opportunities than ever before. But the power What AI means isn’t just about finance. It is also cultural. Estates no longer just sell still photos of long-dead celebrities. They are increasing their work. And in this process has fundamentally altered our perception of these stars.
During most of the 20th century when a famous person died, In theory, companies The name of this planet can be attached to anything. Or at least Doing so is also unlikely to pose legal risks. This began to change almost immediately after Elvis Presley’s death in 1977. “Elvis impersonator Elvis Tribute Restaurant Elvis tribute shows” began popping up, Andrew Gilden, a law professor at Willamette University, told me. And Presley’s representatives began suing in 1984 after several conflicting court decisions related to those cases. The Tennessee legislature passed its demise.”Publicity rights” Rule. This requires companies to Permission must be obtained from the property, such as using a celebrity’s name on a product or allowing the use of their voice. Several states have passed similar laws since then. and bills passed through Congress. There is no fake act.If passed, it would enshrine digital rights of publicity in federal law.
When the estates could control who profited from the stars they represented. Incentives have also increased for estates to sell old photographs of dead celebrities to advertisers (see Groucho Marx for Coca Cola in 1992 and Fred Astaire For Dirt Devil Vacuum Company 1997), then the owners began selling the land. In 2011, Authentic Brands Group, a multi-billion dollar brand management company, which currently owns retailers such as Forever 21 Buy publicity rights to Marilyn Monroe Reported to be between $20 million and $30 million, it was likely one of the largest public sales at the time. Since then, deals have “really taken off,” says Ruth Penfold-Mounce. Professor of Sociology at York University who studied the death with me, Jeff Anderson, managing director of consulting firm Concer who has worked with many famous estates Told me that the burgeoning interest reminded him of the dotcom bubble of the late 1990s: lots of potential land available for sale, but only a handful of it having real long-term value.
Authentic Brands Group now also steer Publicity Rights for Muhammad Ali and Elvis Presley, Primary Wave Music Publishers own The estate of James Brown and has a significant stake in the estates of Whitney Houston and Prince, Anderson said he also sees less entertainment-focused companies, such as private equity firms and family offices. Buy celebrity publicity rights But he told me that these agreements “Rarely disclosed to the public”
Real estate owners have easy deals for film and Broadway producers. Superstars from decades ago certainly sold tickets. And you don’t have to worry about them. “Do stupid things,” as Anderson puts it. “You can control how they act.” These third-party owners have unprecedented power over a celebrity’s legacy. which they may not have a personal connection to They could dilute the way we recognize stars by allowing AI companies to see their images and likenesses. Or it can distract attention from a celebrity’s past misdeeds.
Investors can’t hold back all the distasteful information from the star’s past. But they can make unflattering projects more difficult. Many years ago Netflix signed contract with Prince’s estate, which granted them full access to the singer’s archives to make a documentary. The land has changed hands since then. And now there’s a new executive. try to block The publication of the documentary and has terminated access to the singer’s archive. It has been reported that their ability to carry out the project depended on a technicality: the original contract was for a documentary of no more than six hours. But the proposed cut is nine hours. The film is directed by Ezra Edelman, the man behind the Oscars. OJ: Made in AmericaIt wasn’t a hit, but it delves into Prince’s complicated past. Agents of the estate allegedly found such a documentary. “exciting” like that variety– Disputes like this seem to be becoming more common. And it may hinder our ability to honestly recognize the symbols of the past.
The rise of AI has only compounded these and other ethical concerns. only more severe We live in the era of “Dead Celebrity,” as Penfold-Mounce calls it, is when celebrities can be digitally resurrected at will. Some living stars, like Kristen Bell, have. Sign out In allowing audio to be used with AI models, others are concerned about companies. who use their voice or image Barriers are being put in place where they can appear after their deaths. Actors Robin Williams His portrait was prohibited from commercial use until 25 years after his death. which is the fact that light up During the 2015 court battle, Anderson told me he had seen others limit their appearance posthumously, too. “Some of them are time-bound,” he said. “Some of them are forever.”
But famous people who have died long ago may not know the importance of building such a fence. And there is no other way to reject digital simulation today. Their fate lies in the hands of whoever owns their property. Some companies respect the image of stars. By eliminating the values of celebrities as much as possible. And in family estates, children and close friends often have a particularly clear sense of how their loved ones want their names used. De Klerk, who manages the Bogart family estate, is skeptical about AI. He tells me that there is “Several” companies approached him about using Bogart’s voice and imagery. Including many other companies that Klerk said he wanted to create “A movie starring a lot of people who aren’t here anymore.” So far, he has turned down those offers. Bogart is a master actor, his AI version probably isn’t.
But not every inheritance is related to the wishes of the deceased. “There are companies out there that, if they pass the check, They will say yes,” De Klerk told me. And in those cases There’s almost nothing stopping them from making celebrities say or do almost anything.
This is probably why the stellar visualization feels so unsettling. Such reconstructions not only appear to bring the dead back to life; But it’s also an eerie situation in itself. They can also remove stars from their agency to control their appearance. And in doing so They violated the faith. It’s “deeply ingrained in humanity” “that we should honor the dead,” Penfold-Mounce explains, because money is involved. So it’s not hard to imagine that the caretakers working to bring the stars back to life might have higher priorities than dignity.
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