A Guide Through the
Legal Jungle Trivia Question
Which famous professional athlete sued unsuccessfully for
the reproduction of his/her image in a collage featuring past winners of a
prestigious sporting event?
- Michael Jordan
- Barry Bonds
- Tiger Woods
- Mary Lou Retton
- Joe Montana
The correct answer is C. In 1997, Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament, arguably the most famous golf tournament in the world. Artist, Rick Rush, created and released a limited edition print, The Masters of Augusta, that features three depictions of Woods at the tournament. Woods claimed that the unauthorized use of his image violated his right of publicity. However, a court found that the collage describes, in artistic form, a historic event in sports history and conveys a message about the significance of Woods’ achievement in that event. Hence, the use of Woods’ image in the print was protected by the First Amendment.
(Thanks to Miguel Harvey, 2009 JD Candidate, Georgetown University Law Center, for his contribution to this trivia question.)
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