Marilyn Monroe loses publicity right

Movie icon Marilyn Monroe lost her right of publicity when she died in 1962, a New York court has ruled. It was decided on Wednesday the Some Like It Hot star relinquished power to control the commercial use of her name and image after her death, giving permission for family members of late photographer Sam Shaw to continue selling and licensing pictures of the actress, including the iconic photo of the blonde beauty standing above a subway vent. Monroe's estate sued Shaw Family Archives and Bradford Licensing Inc. in 2005 in Indiana alleging violations of the superstar's right of publicity. The dispute arose after the release of controversial T-shirts featuring an image of the star taken by Shaw. Shaw's family subsequently filed a declaratory relief action over the dispute in New York federal court.