Monday, February 12, 2018

Click Bait

Yesterday on Frank Talk, our guest was Gloria Allred. She and I are probably polar opposites when it comes to politics but I have great respect for her. She has also always been very generous in being a guest on several occassions. Nearly 20 years ago, she participated in a test show that gained me and partner Jeff Wayne a position on the Comedy World network so I will always feel grateful to her.

Here is a link to yesterday's show

I also wanted to see if she would be interested in representing me (and possibly others) in a Right of Publicity lawsuit Unfortunately, she does not work with such cases.

Among the many things I detest about Facebook is seeing these bogus ads where the death of a celebrity is inferred and when you click to find out what happened, it is an ad for some miracle wrinkle cream or another rip off product. A company is NOT allowed to use a celebrity's image to sell a product without permission (and usually compensation).

These cases are pretty straight forward, the celebrity (or non celeb - everyone has the right to control the use of their identity unless it is a news story) calls their lawyer and they go after the company who is using the likeness to sell a product. Most of them have plenty of money to retain a lawyer for such cases. I do not. (Bradys make nada on reruns and were paid unbelievably little in the first place)

Another problem with my situation is that there is no product. Click bait is used to lead the viewer to a site where there is no product but plenty of advertising. Let's say you click on an image that says something like "Celebrities who are missing body parts" (I just made that up) you will be taken to a page and there will be a slide show of celebs missing digits and other things. Each page of the slide show will have advertisements on it. This is how the company makes money. Now for the celebrities who are actually missing toes and such, this is not illegal because it's true and falls under the category of "news". Since there is no direct product being sold, there is nobody to directly go after.

BUT some times the click bait is a celebrity who does NOT fall under this category. In this case it would be one who has all their body parts. This is the case with me. I am the bait but not part of the story.
Have you seen this?
Not only is the other woman in the photo NOT me, but the implication is defaming. Here's another:

This one has a different "after" photo:
I'm not THAT fat! I've seen others in these malicious click baits; like my "sister"
Look! Alison Arngrim and I grew up to be identical twins! And we're not even related even though her character on "Little House" was Nellie Oleson (not even spelled right)
Although other sources show that Alison and Tina Yothers now bear a striking resemblance:

This one really ticks me off:
Hallie and Jesse Eisenberg are siblings!

My manager contacted one of these companies. We weren't seeking money but a cease and desist and public apology. They pretended to be concerned but now are not returning his calls. I think this is something that nobody should be allowed to get away with. I've had enough trouble with bad publicity over fake news. The media loves a story about a child star gone bad as was displayed a year ago when the fake news that I got fired from LA Talk radio spread like wildfire. Sad to think that any of the so called journalists who ran with the story only needed to call LAtalk to find out that the story was not true. clicks translate directly into money for news sources, and the first to post a hot news item often gets the lion’s share of the clicks. Those responsible enough to double check and confirm an item that sounds a little too good to be true often lose out to their less responsible competitors.
(But yes I'll admit I ranted at the guy is a disgusting wannabe actor seeking his fifteen minutes, but it was privately, not on the air)

So my request is for a lawyer who could take this on contingency. If you are one or know one, please comment here. Meanwhile, when you see ads like these, please contravene! Youtube uses them as well but they are mostly on Facebook and here is a link to lodge a complaint

Later!

7 comments:

Larry Lee Moniz said...

Hello Susan,

This explains why you suddenly disappeared from my friends list.
I have complained about so many things to the "management" of Facebook myself, only to either hear nothing, or be told "This account is not in violation of Facebook's rules and/or policies." In addition to all of the things you mentioned in your article (which is right on the money), are the toms of ads using celebrity's images to sell t-shirts by Photoshopping a design on them as if they were endorsing it. I hate that. I like your honesty, and will miss your posts. If you don't come back to FB, I will completely understand why. Here's to seeing you on the slightly friendlier Instagram!

Sincerely,
Larry Lee Moniz

swtpete_at_gmail said...

Hi Susan! Loved your work on Brady Bunch as a kid about the same age, growing up. Your blog above is Amazona and so on point. You should testify before Congress, make this kind of likeness abuse easier to fight, and even get recompensated (hurt the bad companies financially). I think you should see if huffpost.com might co-opt this blog as an article for a wider reach. I saw the fake side by side picture of you and was sickened. Kudos! Fun tone too to your writing. :)

Anonymous said...

Susan are you completely unaware that Facebook owns Instagram?
Ha ha. I guess too much Trump supporting has kept you behind the times.
Sad.

Anonymous said...

They got how you look on the inside right.

Anonymous said...

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Kangaroo's Court said...

I see al of the fake new garbage out there, and I have a friend who had a TV show and I saw on FB an ad for a coffee company company that posted her photo I reported it to her she had her Attorney contact FB and FB took it down. its like all of the fake repeating ads that on on FB. I keep reporting them to Fb they take it down if they don't I get on their case about it. Same for YouTube people post so much fake garbage I call them them out and then all of a sudden they take away posting comment's. I remember when I used to work in radio back in the 80s you had to watch out for phony things you either say or do. or you have the FCC on your sorry backside. this is why people you spend so much time on social media are starting the believe everything. remember back in the old days the National enquire used to have a phot of a alien shaking hands with almost every president. Now we got people who think about mercury retrograde but here is the funny thing planets don't go backwards and planets millions of miles away don't do anything with your life.

Anonymous said...

What matters far more than this is that you're a hate-fueled, homophobic nutbag.