Minnesota lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would restrict the use of Prince’s name and likeness in commercial ventures. The bill was introduced as the PRINCE Act, an acronym for Personal Rights in Names Can Endure.
The new proposed law guards against exploitation of voice, name, signature and photograph for at least 50 years after death, and would retroactively include those who died prior to its signing. According to Minnesota Public Radio’s official site, 17 other states currently have such a law on the books. The bill is a response to Minnesota state laws that don’t have an explicit statute that punishes commercial exploitation of an individual’s likeness without consent postmortem.
The bill is said to be directly inspired by Prince’s death, who died April 21. If passed, the law would apply to all Minnesotans, not just celebrities. There are two weeks left in the legislative session.
The House Civil Law Committee will give the PRINCE Act its first hearing on Tuesday, May 10; and on the following afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee will investigate.
