“At the height of the Indian freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi was contacted by a manufacturer of clay tiles with a rather unusual request: permission to use his image as a trademark for its roofing tiles. Gandhi’s response to the request was characteristically direct and pointed, yet equally unusual: ‘I have no copyright in my portraits but I am unable to give the consent you require’. While no expert in copyright or trademark law, Gandhi was of course an ardent champion of personal freedom and individual autonomy …” (more)
Shyamkrishna Balganesh, ‘Of Autonomy, Sacred Rights, and Personal Marks’ (2022) 135 Harvard Law Review Forum 343 (20 April).
First posted 2022-04-20 11:00:32
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