Art Print Legal Issues - Famous people

[Rhys]

Hey guys, just wanted to get some opinions on this.
I’m thinking of doing some art prints but just wondered what the legal line in is in regard to doing "portraits" of famous people / characters.
Like for instance if I was to illustrate an art print of Brandon Lee as the Crow or Heath Ledger as the Joker is there problems there? No names or nothing on it.
Other people seem to do art prints of everyone from Elvis to James Dean and Hendrix but I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

[vastagh]

even a 'likeness' can get you in trouble.

some seem to get away with it but artists and their management, especially iconic ones LOVE to sick their lawyers on nice folks like us.

[vastagh]

we did some silhouettes of a couple different country stars for some on air stuff and it caused a huge shitstorm. luckily cmt had some pull and fancy lawyers to help soften the blow.

[steve w]

do them and sign them,"Vastagh"

[perkins]

Keep in mind if you do The Crow or The Joker, it's not the actors and their agents that will be on your ass, it's the comics groups and big movie companies who own the copyrights to those characters. Probably worse than if Heath Ledger's estate came after you.

[slater]

That's an excellent point Perkins.

[Rhys]

Hey Perkins, thanks I've been wondering that as well which was why I mentioned character as well as the actor... i've seen others do art prints of Heath and even a couple do prints of the Joker, Batman etc.
just examples...
Heath Ledger CMYKrink 08 Pure Evil - 1st
Joker 95 Hampton - 1st
Tonight To Knight 08 Pardee - 1st
Bat Girl 08 Print Mafia - 1st

(sorry guys... not plugging EB here..)
Damn why could it be someone easy like Obama which everyone has done...

[perkins]

Well, I guess the point is then, that you can do it but you're taking a chance that it's going to come to the attention of the copyright owners and they may take issue with it. I've done it myself & gotten lucky (so far). Just know that it's a risk.

[Rhys]

Thanks mate

[danstiles]

I was next to someone at FS last year who was making a killing with prints of Betty Page and maybe Johnny Cash and some others. I was wondering about the legality of that. And at what point does it go from reproducing their likeness into the realm of "art".