Fifty-Six Hope Road Music v. A.V.E.L.A., Inc.
Addressing the issue of when the use of a celebrity's
likeness or persona in connection with a product constitutes a
false endorsement that is actionable under the Lanham Act, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a district
court's finding of false endorsement and economic interference
by selling T-shirts featuring an image of the late reggae icon, Bob
Marley. Fifty-Six Hope Road Music v. A.V.E.L.A., Inc.,
Case Nos. 12-17502, 12-17519, 12-17595, 13-15407 and 13-15473 (9th
Cir., Feb. 20, 2015) (Smith, J.) (Christen, J., concurring-in-part
and dissenting-in-part).
Fifty-Six Hope Road Music (Hope Road) is an entity owned by the
children of Bob Marley, an influential reggae musician who passed
away more than 30 years ago. Hope Road was formed for the
purpose of acquiring and exploiting assets, rights and commercial
interests in the late Marley. Marley's image continues to
command millions of dollars each
