ABSTRACT
Copyright law does not create the male gaze or protect objectification as an idea. Its significance arises when representations structured through that gaze are fixed in films, photographs and promotional works and become capable of repeated commercial exploitation. Situated at the intersection of feminist film theory and UK copyright law, this article examines that legal and economic afterlife. It considers film authorship and ownership, performers’ rights, contracts, character merchandising, passing off and the absence of a general image right. It argues that while an image may derive significant value from a woman’s body, identity or performance, legal control may belong to others. Rather than presenting stronger or weaker copyright protection as a complete feminist solution, the article advocates targeted protections concerning consent, attribution, integrity, remuneration and digital replicas while preserving criticism, quotation, parody and other transformative uses.
Wasnik, Avantika, Copyright, Male Gaze and the Commercial Afterlife of the Image (September 1, 2026).
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