50 Cent was granted a summary judgment on copyright and right of publicity claims by a federal judge Monday (March 24), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
50 Cent filed a lawsuit in 2009 against WorldStarHipHop.com because three of the website’s mastheads featured images of the Queens, New York rapper. The first masthead was displayed from 2005 until mid-2006, according to court documents. The second ran from mid-2006 until April 2007, while the third appeared from approximately January 2008 through March 2009.
The rapper claimed that the use of his image gave people the impression that 50 Cent was affiliated with the site.
“Defendants provide no authority to support the fair use of a celebrity’s image or likeness,” the judge wrote in the ruling. “This is not surprising, as a celebrity’s image, standing alone, only evokes that celebrity’s persona. Jackson’s image does not, by itself, describe anything about Defendants’ website.”
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To read the entire judgment, click here, or read it below.
50 Cent v. World Star Hip Hop Opinion by Mark H. Jaffe
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