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Not so long ago, celebrities only sued for copyright or trademark infringement if it seemed like someone was benefiting from their likeness. Bon Jovi sued the makers of an energy drink named Mijovi. Angelina Jolie took on a perfume maker planning to name its new fragrance “Shiloh.” Country music superstar Keith Urban sued Keith Urban, the painter. And Mariah Carey went after Mary Carey, the um, porn star.
Now, Prince (or whatever he goes by these days), has stooped to a new low. Just two months ago, he threatened to sue YouTube, eBay and Pirate Bay because his copyrighted material was posted on those sites. While he’s not the first artist to become upset with file- and content-sharing sites, he may be one of the few who have the balls to sue loyal fans.
The performer recently sent letters to three of his fan websites, www.housequake.com, www.princefams.com and www.prince.org, demanding that they “remove all images of the singer, his lyrics and anything linked to Prince's likeness.” Isn’t that all a fan site consists of? The sites have joined forces to form Prince Fans United, and have vowed to fight for their First Amendment and DMCA rights.
While I'm usually a stickler for intellectual property law, I see this as a little dramatic. (Then again, what are celebrities if not dramatic?) As we’ve discussed many times on this site, people are going to do what they want with your content. They are going to rip, mix, post and promote. And generally, brands benefit from this type of consumer control. If consumers are doing something positive and creative with your brand, they must actually care about it.
Since I’m not an global music icon, I can’t relate to seeing my own likeness too often. In my opinion, however, Prince should be happy that his fans care enough to hijack his brand. Actually, he should be grateful that he even has fans. For if not for his fans, how much is his trademark symbol even worth?
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