Prince carefully guarded his public image in life, and now some Minnesota lawmakers are trying to ensure that his estate can continue doing so after his death.
A Minnesota House committee on Tuesday began debating a measure that would create a so-called Right of Publicity in the state, which would clarify the rights of artists to control the commercial use of their names, likenesses, images, voices and signatures, and to extend those protections even after they die.
Other states have similar laws, but Prince’s death brought the question to Minnesota of how to ensure that an artist’s legacy remains in the hands of his or her estate. That occurred to Sen. Bobby Joe Champion when he dropped in on one of many Prince celebrations and saw people selling T-shirts with Prince’s likeness that he believes were probably unlicensed.
“It raised a really important issue to say: ‘Well, hold up. Do we have any protections here in Minnesota around a person still being able to control their likeness and their image even after their death?'” said the Minneapolis Democrat, who once directed a choir that backed up Prince in several performances. “We realized in Minnesota we didn’t have any responsible protection.”
Prince was found dead in his suburban Minneapolis home on April 21, and since then questions have swirled about what will happen to his estate and legacy.