At the end of 2011, a potentially ground-breaking decision was reached by a Northern District California Court. The case was Fraley, et al. v Facebook. The matter at hand was whether or not Facebook’s “sponsored stories” infringed on various state and federal rights, including “rights of publicity.” The court’s ruling is significant, in that they ruled that Facebook users are “famous to their Friends” – a declaration serious Internet law implications. What Is Right of Publicity Essentially, “right of publicity” regulations forbid entities to use an individual’s name or likeness without said person’s express consent. For example, in the simplest terms, a company selling widgets can’t slap Bill Gates’ picture on an advertisement without getting permission from the Microsoft founder first.  Neither can they put a testimonial from Gates on their marketing material without consent. There are, though, notable exceptions ...

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