A Wealth Of Personality - Image Rights

John Ogier, Registrar of Intellectual Property of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, explains the rationale behind Guernsey's introduction of image rights legislation.

A person's most valuable asset is their personality - not their personal wealth. Yet in the 21st century, the wealth associated with a personality is becoming increasingly evident. This includes the right to use your personality as your business and to prevent other parties from exploiting or using your personality without your permission. Recent examples of the wealth in a personality include the Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy (where it is reported that his association with Nike could earn him up to US$20 million per anum), also the well-known football personalities Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and David Beckham, the latter having created a whole brand around his personality.