White v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
971 F.2d 1395 (1992)
- Written by Rocco Sainato, JD
Facts
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (defendant) ran an advertising campaign in which the company displayed its predictions of the future. One of the predictions included an image of a robot wearing a dress and pearls on a game show, turning tiles that displayed different letters of the alphabet. The image immediately called to mind Vanna White (plaintiff) on “Wheel of Fortune,” although White was never mentioned by name. Samsung did not obtain permission from White before airing this advertisement. White subsequently brought an action against Samsung for violation of the California common-law right of publicity. The district court granted summary judgment for Samsung, finding that Samsung had not appropriated White's name or likeness in the robot advertisement. White appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Goodwin, J.)
Dissent (Alarcon, J.)
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