Right of Publicity
In plain English
The right of publicity is your legal control over how anyone else uses your name, image, or likeness for commercial purposes.
Full definition
The right of publicity is a state-law right (and in some jurisdictions, a common-law right) that lets an individual control commercial use of their identity — name, photograph, signature, voice, and other identifiable attributes. It is the legal foundation under NIL contracts: when an athlete grants a brand permission to run an ad with their face, they are licensing their right of publicity. Some states (California, Tennessee, Indiana) have strong statutory right-of-publicity protections that survive death; others rely on common law. Athletes should know which state's law governs their contract (see Choice of Law) because remedies for misuse — injunctions, profit disgorgement, statutory damages — vary dramatically by jurisdiction.
What it looks like in a contract
Athlete represents that Athlete owns and controls all rights of publicity associated with Athlete's name, image, and likeness, and is empowered to grant the license set forth in Section 2 without consent of any third party.
Synthesised from common contract patterns. Not lifted from any specific real contract.
How RevU helps
RevU's NIL contract analyzer detects right of publicity provisions automatically — flagging the exact triggering language, scoring athlete-vs-brand friendliness, and surfacing negotiation leverage where it exists. See Athlete rights protection in RevU for the full product context.
Check your contract freeRelated terms
NIL (Name, Image, Likeness)
NIL is your right to get paid for the use of your name, image, and likeness — unlocked for college athletes by the NCAA in 2021.
IP Assignment
An IP assignment transfers ownership of the content, ideas, or designs you create under the deal — usually to the brand.
Choice of Law
Choice of law is the clause that decides which state's laws will be used to interpret and enforce the contract.
Endorsement Clause
An endorsement clause is the part of the contract where you promise to publicly promote a brand in exchange for money.