James Dean Twitter Handle Draws Lawsuit From Actor’s Estate

The estate of iconic 50s movie star James Dean is suing the anonymous Twitter user behind @JamesDean, hoping to gain control of the account. Twitter told CMG Worldwide, which represents James Dean Inc., that the @JamesDean account does not violate its trademark policy. The user took to Twitter to explain that he was previously contacted by the estate and told he could continue using the handle as long as he provided the password, which he claims to have done in 2010. Now, the user says via Twitter, “CMG has changed their tune; now they want to revive “discussions”. Why didn’t they do that before they filed a lawsuit against me? Hmmm…” What is unclear, law professor Gerard Magliocca told ABA Journal, is whether the common-law right of publicity applies to the use of a celebrity’s name for non-commercial purposes.