Cameo Clips

In a suit over a fundraiser that used the name and image of musician Jim Hendrix, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington awarded the defendants a reduced attorney fees and costs under Washington's right-of-publicity law, and no attorney fees for defending against a federal Lanham Act claim. Experience Hendrix LLC v. The James Marshall Hendrix Foundation, C03-3462Z. A 1996 lawsuit settlement between Jimi Hendrix's father Al ' the heir to Jimi's estate ' and Jimi's brother Leon stated “Leon will not … exploit or attempt to exploit Jimi Hendrix's name, image or likeness on merchandise of any kind, without a written license from [the estate's] Authentic [Hendrix].” Leon later incorporated the non-profit James Marshall Hendrix Foundation. In November 2003, the foundation held a fundraising event that was announced without the estate's knowledge. When the estate filed suit, the court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment on the estate's right-of-publicity claim and later granted voluntary dismissal of the trademark claims.