Legal aspects of using images of real people and historical figures in computer games
summary
Covers concrete legal risks and fixes: courts treat name, portrait, voice, gestures, signatures and even look‑alikes as protectable; examples include Manuel Noriega v. Activision, Keanu Reeves’ likeness in Cyberpunk 2077, FIFA/Tiger Woods licensing and Sniper Elite’s historical portrayals. Notes Lanham Act confusion claims, New York’s written‑consent rule and California’s dead celebrities law that lets heirs sue. Recommends written licenses for any photo/portrait/actor, avoid celebrity images in marketing without contracts, clear IP for artist‑made portraits, and parental consent for minors.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Legal aspects of celebrity images
- 1:10Using real people in games
- 2:37Key questions for real-person images
- 5:14Game genres with real personalities
- 9:54Right to publicity explained
- 13:31Right to publicity criteria
- 16:49Protected aspects of publicity rights
- 25:27USA publicity rights law
- 29:22Global publicity rights differences
- 35:36Recommendations for developers
- 42:27Q&A
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