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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   25600 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of May 20, 2024

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I think it's insane that US makes hiring lookalikes illegal. People writing about "owning their own likeness", but the existence of this law proves that it wasn't theirs to begin with. Scarlett Johansson was just one of the women who looks and sounds generally like her to become famous. In the alternative reality person who voiced gpt4o was famous and SJ was hired because she sounded similar enough.

I am not even remotely some kind of libertarian, but what is the actual harm to society this regulation prevents? People who look like other people always existed and if you obviously can't stop some man eerily similar to you from acting in a hardcore pornography I don't see why SJ should be granted anything here.

you obviously can't stop some man eerily similar to you from acting in a hardcore pornography

You can't, but my understanding is that if you are a notable person, and if the producer of the pornography chose to use someone with your likeness because of the value that your personal brand adds, and if you have not given your permission, and if they are in one of the 35 states with prior case law about such things, you might have a pretty strong case. Though IANAL so TINLA.

Yeah, hence I write that it's crazy that this case law exists. Why would being a notable person grants you more rights and what societal purpose these rights serve.

I mean is it crazy that you can't build a car, slap a Rolls Royce logo on it, and sell the car? It's not a "being a notable person" issue, it's a "having a personal brand" issue.

I don't see why a theoretical Ginger Johnson, Scarlett's separated-at-birth identical twin, should be prevented from having a public career because Scarlett beat her to it and she'd (unavoidably) be riding Scarlett's coattails. So the same goes for other look-alikes.

As long as Ginger does not benefit specifically by doing things which are intended to cause people to falsely believe that Scarlett did the thing rather than her, I think Ginger is fine.

you obviously can't stop some man eerily similar to you from acting in hardcore pornography

This seems .... oddly specific. And an epic humble brag if so.

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