Passing Off on Persons - Rihanna Wins Appeal Case

If reality TV has taught something to most individuals is that personality, and personas especially, are valuable. This, along with other celebrities, musicians and actors, illustrates an interesting aspect of humanity; a self-imposed value on the eccentric and the unusual, making people and their respective persons more than salable. People often buy things based on association, be it quality, notoriety or just through the endorsement of the right person. Because of this there is a huge amount of value in the right brand or good being associated with the right person, even if that image is conjured up through more 'nefarious' means, i.e. through the illusion of association or endorsement, which can potentially damage the 'brand' of an individual. After a recent case, this writer was inspired to answer one question: can you pass off on a person, not just a brand?

The case in question was Fenty & Ors v Arcadia Group Brands Ltd, decided in the Court of Appeal in the early days of 2015, which dealt with the sale of a simple article of clothing; a t-shirt. Topshop, a well-known store for all that is clothing, sold a t-shirt printed with the image of Robyn Fenty - more commonly known as Rihanna. The image itself was one of her posing, taken during the shooting of a music video for one of her songs. The picture was taken by a third-party photographer, and not commissioned by Rihanna herself, allowing the photographer to sell the rights to the image to Topshop, which he promptly had done, leading to its use in the aforementioned garment. Rihanna subsequently objected to this use, and initiated proceedings against Topshop for the image's use, citing an infringement of her rights, and claiming its use can confuse consumers to believe she endorses the shirt, amounting to passing off (more on which can be found here).

The starting-point for the discussion surrounding the law was set out by Lord Justice Kitchin: "There is in English law no "image right" or "character right" which allows a celebrity to control the use of his or her name or image". In the United States, under various State legislation, an individual's personality or persona can be protected; something that isn't protectable per say under UK legislation.

Some faces are just made for t-shirts

Nevertheless, the protection offered under passing off can potentially extend to individuals, at least on a prima facie application of the requisite elements: there has to be goodwill associated with that individual; a misrepresentation as to that goodwill applying to goods and/or services not associated with that individual; and actual or potential damage to said goodwill. Should Topshop have sufficiently misrepresented a connection with Rihanna, they could be liable under passing off. To put things in more simplistic terms, as described by Lord Justice Kitchin: "...it was [Rihanna's] case that the misrepresentation that she was associated with the t-shirt made it more attractive and so played a material part in the decision of the public to buy it".

Lord Kitchin turned to the earlier decision in Edmund Irvine Tidswell Ltd v Talksport Ltd, where Justice Laddie formulated two criteria that needed to be established for a successful case in passing off in a false endorsement matter: "It follows from the views expressed above that there is nothing which prevents an action for passing off succeeding in a false endorsement case. However, to succeed, the burden on the claimant includes a need to prove at least two, interrelated facts. First, that at the time of the acts complained of he had a significant reputation or goodwill. Second, that the actions of the defendant gave rise to a false message which would be understood by a not insignificant section of his market that his goods have been endorsed, recommended or approved of by the claimant".

Whether the public perceive the image of Rihanna as an endorsement or not is very much irrelevant, As long as an image of a potential endorser is used, the use can amount to a misrepresentation to that individual's endorsement of that product. This, however, does not allow a celebrity to unilaterally prevent all uses of their images, but is an assessment that has to be made in every instance and relating to every specific use separately. Topshop had attempted to use Rihanna's fame to their advantage through prior campaigns and contests, clearly leveraging her image to boost their sales. This does not amount to passing off itself, but is a contributing factor usable by the courts. In the end the Court saw that Topshop were indeed liable under passing off, and prevented the further sale of the above t-shirt.

While this case is not a landmark one, it serves an interesting curiosity in the world of celebrity and marketing, and showcases that even images can carry weight and value. Next time you print an image of your loved ones on custom-made t-shirts, think twice.

Source: BBC