Tag Archives: celebrity law news

RIP: The Uncanny Business of Dead Celebrity Endorsements on Social Media

The dead are more alive than ever. Thanks to social media and inherited ‘intellectual property rights,’ stars of the past enjoy digital immortality. Icons including Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and John Lennon remain active on blue-checkmarked social media accounts that are often controlled by for-profit corporations, which don’t require a family tie to the deceased.

Marilyn Monroe passed away more than 60 years ago but, with more than 1.7 million followers on Instagram, she’s also one of the top social media influencers today.

This is strange but dead celebrity influencers are not uncommon. They are prominently visible on social media, sporting blue checkmarks as if they never passed away.

In some cases, these accounts are controlled by direct family members who work hard to keep the spirit of their loved ones alive. However, others are controlled by corporations that have nothing to do with the person they represent.

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Under siege from the SEC, actor Steven Seagal finds he’s not above the law

Rumored Harvey Weinstein Hollywood Sighting Freaks out Celebrities

Pulp Fiction actress and Weinstein accuser Rosanna Arquette shared a tweet calling it “very strange” that Weinstein was staying in the same Beverly Hills hotel as the one being used for Golden Globe Awards press. (Arquette’s Twitter account is unverified, but the tweet linked up to a Facebook account in her name as well.)

“It is Very strange ,that Harvey Weinstein is at the very same hotel in Beverly Hills that the golden globe press is being done at. I smell a Rat,” she wrote.

Actress Ellen Barkin later tweeted from her verified account wondering if Weinstein was in the area.

 

“Is serial rapist harvey weinstein in los angeles? on the wknd of the Golden Globes. Why? WHy? WHY?” she wrote, adding in a subsequent tweet that “I forgot to say ‘alleged’…because i know better.”

The rumors that Weinstein was in Los Angeles the very same weekend women planned on wearing all black to the Golden Globes in protest of sexual harassment enraged many, but Weinstein’s rep argued that he was nowhere near L.A.

Full Read – http://popculture.com/celebrity/2018/01/05/harvey-weinstein-los-angeles-golden-globes-weekend/

SEC warns celebs about legal dangers of bitcoin endorsements

Celebs endorsing ICOs must now disclose if their social media posts are paid promotions.

When celebrities endorse things on social media, a lot of people tend to take their word for it. Now that some of them have also begun endorsing a controversial means of crowdfunding called “initial coin offering” or ICO, which was recently banned in China and South Korea, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has had to step in with a warning. Since ICOs are an unregulated means to raise money using cryptocurrencies, people could use them to sell products that don’t exist or to entice investors to sink their money into projects that will never materialize. That’s why SEC has decided to be on the lookout for celebrity ICO endorsements to protect potential investors.

The agency’s warning says:

“Any celebrity or other individual who promotes a virtual token or coin that is a security must disclose the nature, scope, and amount of compensation received in exchange for the promotion. A failure to disclose this information is a violation of the anti-touting provisions of the federal securities laws. Persons making these endorsements may also be liable for potential violations of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, for participating in an unregistered offer and sale of securities, and for acting as unregistered brokers.”

SEC’s warning comes after The New York Times published a piece on celebrities like Floyd Mayweather and Paris Hilton endorsing various ICOs. The famous boxer help a Miami-based ICO called Centra Tech raise $30 million. According to the publication, Centra Tech’s founders created a chief executive that doesn’t exist. In addition, despite promising a Visa or a Mastercard debit card to its backers that will supposedly allow them to spend their Centra coins anywhere, the company reportedly doesn’t have any kind of deal or partnership with either credit card company.

Full Read – https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/02/sec-bitcoin-endorsements-warning/

Will Smith Slips Tyrese Gibson ‘$5m To Help With Legal Costs’

Tyrese has had his fair amount of problems of late, not least of all an ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife, Norma Gibson.

But after posting a confessional video last week where he hinted that he needed a little help from his celebrity friends, it appears that Tyrese’s luck may have come back in.

In an Instagram post yesterday, Tyrese revealed that his mate Will Smith – the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air – and wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have given Tyrese an eyewatering $5 million to help cover his court costs. That’s a casual sum to just pull out of your pocket and give to a pal. Lucky for some, eh?

“My wife kept the news away from me cause I’ve been on with lawyers all day but our family and our sister Jada-Pinkett Smith and my brother Will Smith just sent us 5 million dollars to help keep us afloat,” Tyrese wrote in a caption to a photo of him laughing with Will Smith.

“You guys asked me to get off and stay off the Internet now that my daughter’s legal fees will be paid!”

Last Wednesday, Tyrese had posted an emotional video in which he revealed his frustration about several issues related to his legal battle with Gibson.

Read Full – http://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/celebrity-will-smith-slips-tyrese-gibson-5m-to-help-with-legal-costs-20171106

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