Virtual Marilyn LLC has filed a lawsuit against Marilyn Monroe estate, claiming that her statutory heirs are getting in the way of a computer-generated character.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Virtual Marilyn's company claimed that it holds copyright registrations encompassing "audiovisual work and character artwork depicting a computer-generated virtual actress adopting the persona of Marilyn Monroe."
According to the new lawsuit, Monroe's estate, who has been threatening this virtual character for some time, conveyed that under the Lanham Act, use of Marilyn Monroe's identity and persona without the her estate's prior authorization constitutes unfair competition and false designation of origin and that its adversary couldn't use or license "marks, names, logos, designs, avatars, or the like."
So the company now owning "Virtual Marilyn" is going to court for declaratory relief.