John Locher/AP
Elvis impersonator Brendan Paul, right, walks down the aisle during a wedding ceremony for Katie Salvatore and Eric Wheeler at Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Authentic Brands Group sent cease and desist letters earlier this month to several chapels, saying they must comply by the end of May.
The Las Vegas Chapels of Love that use the likeness of Elvis Presley could become Heartbreak Hotels.
The licensing company that controls the name and likeness of ‘The King’ is ordering Sin City Chapel operators to stop using Elvis in themed ceremonies, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Authentic Brands Group sent cease and desist letters in early May to several chapels, which should now be in compliance.
With Elvis is so closely tied to the wedding industry in Vegassome say the move could decimate their businesses.
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“We’re a family business, and now we hang out with the big dogs,” said Kayla Collins, who operates LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and Little Hearts Chapel with her husband.
“It’s our bread and butter. I don’t get it. We were just picking up our pace through Covid and then it happens.”
Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who ran a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destinationsaid the order given to chapels to stop using Elvis could not have come at a worse time for the industry.
John Locher/AP
Charles King sings the role of Elvis as he marries Alicia Funk and Vaughan Chambers at A Little Wedding Chapel on May 12, 2020 in Las Vegas. With Elvis so closely tied to the Vegas wedding industry, some say the move could decimate their businesses.
The city’s wedding industry generates US$2 billion (NZ$3 billion) a year, and officials say Elvis-themed weddings account for a significant number of ceremonies performed.
“It could destroy part of our wedding industry. A number of people could lose their livelihoods,” Goya said.
A chapel last weekend had its Elvis impersonator Instead, don a leather jacket, jeans and felt hat for a “rock ‘n’ roll”-themed ceremony, the Review-Journal reported Monday.
Graceland Wedding Chapel, which holds 6,400 Elvis-themed weddings a year, has yet to receive a warning, according to director Rod Musum.
Case
“Elvis”, “Elvis Presley” and “The King of Rock and Roll” are trademarks protected, says a letter from Authentic Brands Group.
Authentic Brands Group did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The licensing company oversees the estates of big names such as movie star Marilyn Monroe and boxer Muhammad Ali and 50 consumer brands.
In the cease and desist letter, the company states that it will end the unauthorized use of “Presley’s name, likeness, vocal image and other elements of Elvis’ personality Presley in advertisements, merchandise and more.”
The letter also stated that “Elvis”, “Elvis Presley”, “and” The King of Rock and Roll “are protected marks.
The order should not result in legal action against Elvis-themed stage shows in Las Vegas, such as All Shook Up, because impersonating someone for a live show type show is considered an exception under Nevada’s right to publicity law, according to local Mark Tratos. lawyer who helped draft the law.
“An Elvis show is a performer who basically entertains others by recreating that person on stage,” Tratos said.
Kent Ripley, whose business is called Elvis Weddings, said he had never had this problem in 25 years of performing as Elvis.
“They want to protect the Elvis brand. But what are they protecting by removing Elvis from the public?” Ripley asked.
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