Celebrity Impersonator For Hire

[Zain Larnia]

Need a celebrity to show up at an event? Look no further! Drop me an IM or Notecard inworld and we can get together and negotiate the details and pricing. When you contact me we could also arrange for photos to be sent and/or a meeting in person to be made if you would like to see the avatar.

 

Currently I only do two celebrity personas, though I will be expanding in the future. These personas are:

•Lady Gaga

•Oprah Winfrey

 

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/1255/oprah.png

 

 

[PeterCanessa Oh]

And do you have permission from these people to use their names and likeness?  If not, this is probably in breach of the TOS.

[Zain Larnia]

I'm clearly designated as an impersonator, not claiming to be the celebrity themselves. If it was illegal, believe me there would not be as many impersonators in the real world as there, but anyway I've included some information nonetheless.

Legally: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of their recent scandals or known behavior patterns. Especially popular objects of impersonation are Elvis (see Elvis impersonator), Abraham Lincoln, and Lenin. Entertainers who impersonate multiple celebrities as part of their act, can be sorted into impressionists and celebrity impersonators.

Illegally: As part of a criminal act such as identity theft. This is usually where the criminal is trying to assume the identity of another, in order to commit fraud, such as accessing confidential information, or to gain property not belonging to them. Also known as social engineering and impostors.

Charging for the service of me taking the time to appear is not illegal, and in the end it's all in good fun.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

While I agree with you, it is possible to be sued by celebs (however unlikely) and some uses are specifically excluded by Linden Labs, in case the celeb sues them (not very likely either).

If you change your display name, for instance: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Display-names-FAQ/ta-p/700175#Are_there_any_rules_for_choosing_a_display_name.3F

You are free to express yourself in your name as long as it complies with the Second Life Terms of Service and Community Standards. When selecting a name, do not choose one that:

• violates a celebrity’s right in their name, a trademarked brand name, or any copyright or intellectual proper...;

Furthermore, on the intellectual property page (http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Intellectual_Property) Linden Lab states (my underlining)

"When you do that, please make sure you're not improperly using another's intellectual property – for example, a trademarked logo or brand name, a distinctive product appearance (known as "trade dress"), characters or material from a movie, book, or other copyrighted work, or a celebrity image or name (protected as a "right of publicity")."

and

"You should not use copyrighted, trademarked, or celebrity material in Second Life, unless of course you are the intellectual property owner or have permission from the intellectual property owner."

 

I'm just pointing this out so you know - it's illegal here unless you can show you have permission.  The important thing is that this isn't "the real world" and what you may be able to get away with there you might get banned for here.  Good luck though.

[Zain Larnia]

Ah, well if it makes any difference the name is worn as a group tag as opposed to a display name. I'd read over the pages if I wasn't on a phone right now.