Influencers & Social Media

Articles

A Release Is Not a License to All: Electra v. 59 Murray Enterprises and the Models Whose Images Sold the Nightclub

The Second Circuit revived right-of-publicity claims by professional models whose photographs were lifted to advertise strip clubs online, holding that a release signed for one purpose is not consent against the world.

January 9, 2026

Influencers & Social Media

The Intellectual Property Door in Section 230: Hepp v. Facebook

The Third Circuit held that Section 230 does not immunize platforms from state right-of-publicity claims, splitting from the Ninth Circuit on the law's intellectual-property carve-out.

November 3, 2025

Influencers & Social Media

A Borrowed Life Is Not a Borrowed Face: Gravano v. Take-Two

New York's highest court held that even a video-game character built from a reality star's biography is not actionable when the avatar is not recognizable as her.

August 18, 2025

Influencers & Social Media

When the Avatar Is You: Lohan v. Take-Two and the Recognizability Line

New York's highest court held that a video-game avatar can be a 'portrait' under the right of publicity, but only if the public can actually recognize the plaintiff in it.

February 11, 2025