I thought they were on the same side....

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Calibri][URL="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34712375/ns/today-white_house/?gt1=43001"][COLOR="Blue"]Article[/COLOR][/URL].

In a stunning display of "...why is this even an issue", the White House is currently denouncing longtime animal-rights . . . er, activist (term used loosely) organisation PETA for using the First Lady's image without permission in a recent anti-fur advertisement campaign. The ad features the madam Obama alongside Carrie Underwood, Tyra Banks, and Oprah, emblazoned on the sides of minivans and DC metros and featured in magazines and on the organisation's website.

Well. You have to look for it, [I]now[/I].

Anyway, yes, the White House is up in arms because the image of the First Lady is being used "without permission", despite the statement of Michelle's press secretary, earlier this year, that the First Lady does [I]not[/I] wear fur. Which, you know, I would kind of hope the secretary was being serious and not just mouthing off for publicity an PR and what.

PETA claims it did not seek actual endorsement because "it knows that she [Michelle Obama] can't make such an endorsement" (article).

To be fair, PETA has done some bonehead things in the past, and will most likely continue to do so because the organisation is rife with—oops, I about said something politically incorrect, didn't I? :catgirl:—but, really, this shouldn't even be a problem, considering the ad is saying all of "these women don't wear fur", which is about the same as Reebok saying "Michael Jordan wears sneakers". So all I can think of here is a very insightful phrase from one of my favorite comedians.

[INDENT][I]"Is [U]everybody[/U] dumb?"[INDENT][SIZE="1"]—Louis Costello[/SIZE][/INDENT][/I][/INDENT][/FONT]

[pooperson]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nobody's picture should be used without their permission. It's as simple as that.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]I don't wear fur. Why aren't they seeking my endorsement?

Sexist bigots.[/FONT]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well if we don't let members use other members' photos without permission, no matter how much we hate them... [spoiler]RickHunter[/spoiler].....

I guess the White House has a point, for once.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms]I have a hard time understanding why other people DON'T understand why this is an issue for the White House. PETA is a controversial organization and Michelle Obama is a political figure. Like, hello, political image 101...[/font]

[Horendithas]

[FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Indigo"]White House or not, political image or not, no one should have their image used in a campaign without their permission. It's one thing to say she doesn't wear fur, it's another to plaster her image all over the place with the same slogan. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[CaNz]

I agree that peoples pictures should not be used without their consent, however, when you are a celebrity or figurehead, i think your rights on that matter dwindle a bit.
These people had better be use to this by now.

Honestly I dont think anyone got hurt here since it was supposedly true, and the statement made about these women wasn't a bad one.

This is PETA we are talking about. I am expecting them to go as far as show the forefathers of our country clubbing baby seals to get there point across.

[Rachmaninoff]

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"]I agree with the others, saying she doesn't wear fur is fine. Using her image in a campaign without her permission, not fine.[/FONT]

[John]

This still doesn't top "sea kittens".

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='John']This still doesn't top "sea kittens".[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Best PETA smear campaign is a tie between Killing Mama and Canadian Syrup Farmers Kill Baby Seals, IMO.[/FONT]

[pooperson]

[quote name='John']This still doesn't top "sea kittens".[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]lmao, sea kittens are my favorite<3[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Heaven's Cloud]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]

To be fair, PETA has done some bonehead things in the past, and will most likely continue to do so because the organisation is rife with?oops, I about said something politically incorrect, didn't I? :catgirl:?but, really, this shouldn't even be a problem, considering the ad is saying all of "these women don't wear fur", which is about the same as Reebok saying "Michael Jordan wears sneakers". [/FONT][/QUOTE]

The ad wouldn't be at all controversial if it didn't carry PETA's logo and brand name. You cannot commercially exploit a person's image or likeness without their consent. If PETA did not include their logo on these ads then there would be no recourse for Michelle Obama because no specific person or organization is benefiting commercially, it is just a simple "news" statement.

[chibi-master]

Is it not illegal to use someone's image without their permission? I'm certain that it is, in which case this IS an issue. Just because Mrs. Obama doesn't wear fur does not mean she should have her face plastered everywear without prior notice. That would be like me saying, "I like Frosted Flakes," and suddenly they have me on the cereal box linking pinkies with Tony the Tiger. It's just not considerate.

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Commercially, yes. You don't find many people suing newspapers for including photos of them unless the image is harmful to their public image, and even then they can only do that if its use is deceptive in nature, which would make it slanderous (which all leads back to hindering their financial situation anyway, so it's pretty much all about money at the end of the day.)

The big issue here is that she was not consulted and not paid to appear in this ad campaign. You just don't do that. Unless you're PETA, but at that point you also create flash games depicting Colonel Sanders as a bloodthirsty maniac, so.

On a semi-related note, those stock photos of scantily-clad women that [I]Evony[/I] uses to advertise could probably cripple the idiots if the ladies they depicted ever tried to litigate.[/FONT]

[Skye]

[quote name='chibi-master']That would be like me saying, "I like Frosted Flakes," and suddenly they have me on the cereal box linking pinkies with Tony the Tiger. [/QUOTE]

[size=1]You have to admit, that would be badass, though. I would just threaten to sue unless they paid me. ^_^[/size]

[SunfallE]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Well I can see why they got annoyed with it. She didn't agree to appear in a campaign and certainly didn't give consent for them to use her image.

Also, I agree with the sentiment that it definitely lacks the wtf-ness that the seakittens deal brought about. lol[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Since people have the right of publicity in regards to images of themselves having value, using someone's image without consent for commercial gain makes them liable and open to be sued.

Simply stating in say an article that she doesn't wear fur is fine since it's stating relevant facts where putting her image on posters and using them in ads is not.

I also saw on the news that a company put up a huge billboard of Obama since he was wearing one of their coats at the time. Like the ones about the fur, that too will need to come down since they did not get his permission to do that.

I think it's pretty obvious that PETA wasn't all that concerned about it and used it as a publicity stunt. As for the other group, I would find it hard to believe that they didn't know they were crossing the line by using the President's image. [/FONT]

[Gavin]

[quote name='SunfallE'][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode][COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well I can see why they got annoyed with it. She didn't agree to appear in a campaign and certainly didn't give consent for them to use her image.

Also, I agree with the sentiment that it definitely lacks the wtf-ness that the seakittens deal brought about. lol[/COLOR][/FONT][/quote]

[SIZE=1]This. If it were any other group bar PETA I might have some sympathy.

Of course thanks to them I can now sell cat instead of fish in my stores. Mwahahahahaha. [/SIZE]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE=1]This. If it were any other group bar PETA I might have some sympathy.

Of course thanks to them I can now sell cat instead of fish in my stores. Mwahahahahaha. [/SIZE][/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Oh, speaking of that. we just got a new shipment of 'land fish' in today. What did you want me to do with that?[/FONT]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Ace'][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Oh, speaking of that. we just got a new shipment of 'land fish' in today. What did you want me to do with that?[/FONT][/quote]

[SIZE=1]Cut off the heads and ship a crate to PETA's headquarters with that a cropped version of that photo of me giving a thumbs-up from the last company picnic after "that" happened. Skin and bone the bodies and market them in French as a new import cuisine.
[/SIZE]

[Rachmaninoff]

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"]Well so much for getting any type of French food from Wally World. :p [/FONT]