Abstract

The dynamic development of the mass media, which has resulted in a faster possibility of information transfer by the media, has caused an increasing possibility of violation of personal rights. In spite of the obligation to respect them, the right of publicity is more and more often interfered with. Particularly vulnerable are people who are well-known and their life brings a lot of public attention. This article is an attempt to determine the content of the image right on the basis of the provisions of Civil Code and Act on Copyright and Related Rights. An exemplary catalog of infringements of the right of publicity based on the jurisprudence of common courts as well as the Supreme Court is also presented. The main part will show how the protection is provided to celebrities under civil law regulations, whose personal rights have been violated in connection with illegal promulgation of their image. Undoubtedly, a unique part of this article is the empirical part, which is a survey conducted among the actors of the National Theatre in Warsaw. The objective of the survey is to present the views of people commonly known related to the issue of the right of publicity.

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