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Paris Hilton billboard Beneath a picture of her head is the word 'Vacant' Nov 13, 2009
To advertise available billboard space, a New Zealand vendor put up a picture of the notoriously empty-headed heiress Paris Hilton. Under her face, in very bold letters, is the word "Vacant." The connection was obvious, and people who saw the billboard, located in Auckland, got a laugh. It even generated a few advertising leads. But one person is not laughing, Hilton. The party girl, model and sometime reality star is threatening to sue Media5, the billboard owner, for unlawful usage of her image. She could well have a case. Public figures have a difficult time winning lawsuits where they've been defamed or ridiculed, but little trouble winning when their image is used without permission, and usually a hefty fee. Earlier this year, Woody Allen sued and collected $5 million from American Apparel, a U.S.-based retail chain, after the famed director's image appeared on a billboard without his permission. AA settled rather than go to trial. It's unclear whether Media5 had permission to use Hilton's image. The company told a New Zealand newspaper that it had recently doubled its billboard inventory and was looking to drum up business. "We wanted to draw some attention to some of our unsold display as we expanded, so we briefed a friend who runs his own boutique agency to work up a range of creative concepts," McGregor says. "We liked the ones he came up with using high-profile public figures the best because they were fun." Media5 says it assumed the agency had received permission to use the photo and is looking into the matter. The company has promised to take the image down if in fact the use is unauthorized. It doesn't appear Hilton's beef has anything to do with being made fun of. She's been more than willing to play the dumb blonde in the past. She filmed a spot for FunnyOrDie.com last year playing off a jibe John McCain tossed at Barack Obama during the election in which he compared his opponent's celebrity to that of Hilton's, suggesting Obama lacked substance as a candidate. She also did a guest spot on "My Name is Earl" that played off her image. In any case, the Hilton billboard saga has since been picked up by tabloids and bloggers who could not resist posting headlines like "Paris Hilton is vacant." Hilton and Allen are hardly the first celebrities involved in a billboard controversy, but usually the furor is over content, not permission. Four years ago, rapper 50 Cent was embroiled in controversy over a billboard for the movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," in which he was shown shirtless carrying a gun and a microphone. Critics fumed that the advertisement glorified violence. Actress Eva Mendes is currently in the midst of a billboard scandal. She's pictured in her underwear along with a half-naked man in a graphic new Calvin Klein ad displayed in Soho that has the neighborhood in an uproar.
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