Right of Publicity Licensing

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Intellectual Property and TechnologyRight of Publicity

Right of publicity licensing turns name, image, and likeness into revenue through endorsement, merchandising, and appearance deals structured to pay you fairly while keeping control over how your brand and reputation get used.

Athletes, performers, and other public figures can turn their identity into income, but only with deals built to protect the brand behind it. We represent talent looking to license name, image, and likeness, and businesses looking to put a recognizable identity to work in their marketing. Either way, the job is the same: structure agreements that capture the real value of the personality rights involved while keeping reputation and quality firmly under control.

Endorsement Deals

Endorsements tie a personality to a product or brand, and the terms decide whether that pays off. We draft agreements that pin down scope of services, exclusivity, compensation, usage rights, and quality control. On the talent side, we protect the image and the freedom to take other work; on the advertiser side, we secure the marketing flexibility the deal is supposed to deliver. The result is an agreement both sides can live with for the full term instead of fighting over the gaps later.

Merchandising and Appearances

Licensing a name or likeness onto merchandise opens a real revenue stream, and we negotiate the deals that define product categories, territories, royalties, and quality standards so the program stays on-brand. Personal appearances need the same care: we paper the dates, fees, travel, and how appearance content can be used, and we handle the riders that come with them, including social media rights, photography, and the conditions that protect you while you are on site and afterward.

Getting the Money Right

Licensing pay comes in many shapes, and the right structure depends on the deal. We negotiate guaranteed fees, royalty arrangements, equity participation, and hybrids that blend them, and we tie the terms to milestones and reporting so you can actually see what you are owed. The aim is compensation that reflects what your identity brings to the table while giving both sides enough certainty to plan around. We also build in audit rights so the numbers can be checked rather than taken on faith.

Usage Rights and Reputation Control

What a licensee can actually do with your identity has to be spelled out, not assumed. We define the permitted media, territories, duration, and limits, and we account for digital use, social platforms, and channels that did not exist when the deal was signed. Just as important, we negotiate the approval rights, quality standards, and termination provisions that keep you in control of how your name and likeness show up, so a licensing program builds your brand instead of cheapening it.

Frequently asked questions

Cover the scope of services, exclusivity, compensation, exactly how your name and image can be used, approval rights, the term, how either side can terminate, and a morals clause. The specific deal points shift depending on the industry and the talent's profile. The usage rights and exclusivity terms are where the real value sits, so do not gloss over them.

It comes down to how recognizable the talent is, how broad the campaign is, how much exclusivity is required, how widely the brand can use the talent's likeness, and each side's leverage. Comparable deals are the best reality check on whether a number is fair. The broader the usage and exclusivity, the higher the rate should run.

Talent commonly keeps creative approval over the ads they appear in, standards for the products they are tied to, and control over how their image is presented. How far that control goes is a matter of negotiation and leverage. The point is to protect the talent's brand from being used in ways that undercut it.

A morals clause lets a party end the deal if the talent does something that damages their reputation, and by extension the brand's. The hard part is the wording, since it can be drafted broadly enough to trigger on almost anything or narrowly enough to be meaningless. We aim for a balanced clause that protects the brand without leaving the talent exposed to vague accusations.

Spell out how many posts are required, who approves them, and who owns the usage rights, because none of that should be left to assumption. You also have to build in FTC disclosure requirements, meaning paid posts have to clearly say they are sponsored. Getting this wrong creates both contract disputes and regulatory exposure.

Often yes. Where state law recognizes posthumous publicity rights, an estate can license a deceased personality's name and image for endorsements and merchandise. The catch is that protection varies a lot by state, so the first step is confirming the rights exist before building a licensing program around them.

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