§482P-2 Property right in use of name, voice, signature, or likeness.

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§482P-2 Property right in use of name, voice, signature, or likeness. Every individual or personality has a property right in the use of the individual's or personality's name, voice, signature, and likeness. The right shall be deemed to have existed before the enactment of this chapter, including at and after the time of death of any deceased individual or deceased personality, and shall continue to exist for a fixed period of time after death, as prescribed in section 482P-4.

This right shall be freely transferable, assignable, and licensable, in whole or in part, by any otherwise permissible form of inter vivos or testamentary transfer, including without limitation a will or other testamentary instrument, trust, contract, community property agreement, or cotenancy with survivorship provisions or payable-on-death provisions, whether the will or other testamentary instrument, trust, contract, community property agreement, or cotenancy document is entered into or executed by the deceased individual or deceased personality or by any subsequent owner of the deceased individual's or deceased personality's rights as recognized by this chapter; or, if none is applicable, then the owner of the rights shall be determined under the laws of intestate succession applicable to interests in intangible personal property.

The right exists regardless of whether it was commercially exploited by the individual or the personality during the individual's or the personality's lifetime. The right does not expire upon the death of the individual or personality, regardless of whether the law of the domicile, residence, or citizenship of the individual or personality at the time of death or otherwise recognizes a similar or identical property right. This chapter is intended to apply to all individuals and personalities, living and deceased, including those who died before the enactment of this chapter, regardless of place of domicile or place of domicile at time of death.

In the case of a deceased individual or deceased personality, the rights recognized under this chapter shall be deemed to exist at the time of death of any deceased individual or deceased personality or subsequent successor of their rights for the purpose of determining the person or persons entitled to these property rights as provided for in section 482P-3. [L Sp 2009, c 28, pt of §2; am L 2021, c 37, §3]

Note

The 2021 amendment is retroactive to July 15, 2009. L 2021, c 37, §5.