Niets dan goeds

IE-ers weten als geen ander dat de doden ook rechten hebben, meestal van beperkte duur, maar toch. En blijkens een bericht verspreid door Reuters zijn er zelfs bedrijven die zich alleen maar bezig houden met deze rechten. Succesvolle bedrijven zelfs, want de 'Demand for the use of deceased celebrities has been on the rise.' 

"It is an extremely attractive proposition for advertisers to tell a story using the strong emotive qualities of a famous personality or icon," Shenk said.

Actors represented by Roger Richman, based in Beverly Hills, California, include James Cagney, Betty Grable, Rudolph Valentino and Mae West. The agency's roster also includes George Burns and Gracie Allen, Leonard Bernstein, Ethel Merman, Buckminster Fuller and the Wright Brothers.

Such celebrities continue to earn cash for their estates well past their death. According to Forbes Magazine, Elvis Presley is the highest-paid dead celebrity with yearly earnings of $40 million, followed by "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, author J.R.R. Tolkien and John Lennon. Lees meer.