Oh, S**t! 50 Cent Knows About Internet Law…
You better study up if you plan on using 50's image!
If you haven’t heard, 50 Cent is suing a popular website, and that should be frightening enough for other websites to consult a lawyer on what they can and can’t do. Is the Queen’s bully starting a new trend in the fight against evil gossip blogs and sh***y websites? You be the judge after the jump.
Rapper 50 Cent is suing WorldStarHipHop.com for using his image/likeness without his permission. The site used 50′s photo on its home page, much like a banner ad that you see on most websites.
Banner ads, much like what you see on this site and others, are used to not only increase traffic, but to generate revenue. 50 believes that the public perception associated with WorldStarHipHop, at that time, was that he was affiliated with the site due to his image being feature on WSHH’s homepage.
Black Web 2.0 goes deep into the laws pertaining to “right to privacy” that questions the notion of if blogs/websites/online magazines have to get permission to use every celebrity’s image or likeness before publishing any content on their site. Hopefully, you’ll read that piece and come away a little bit wiser.
But in 50′s case has he created a new stipulation? With the Internet the new real estate game, folks are trying to stake their claim to be a part of the entertainment industry’s most conflicted trade – the music business. And while sites like NahRight, YouHeardThatNew and OnSmash have been able to provide listeners with content, others like VladTV and WSHH are entities within themselves.
Pushing video drives traffic into the millions and millions of unique and pageviews, so when a site uses an image under false pretenses, like a banner ad, it gives the illusion that the image used is affiliated in some way with the site.
In short, if 50 Cent wins, it will be an Internet game changer for sure.
What do you think? Is 50 right in protecting all things 50? Will websites and blogs rethink their policies on how they place and gain their images, or do you not care at all? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
It could be good and it could be bad:
1. If he wins then that means the companies will think twice on who’s face they use on a banner, but it could mean that his pic won’t be used anywhere out of fear. It might be like when an artist puts something in a track to stop illegal dl’n. It stops it, but it also stops circulation of their name and music so no word get’s around. It’s out of site out of mind.
2. If he loses then it’s going to be a free for all lol. But he knows how to pick his battles.