§ 8.01-40 Unauthorized use of name or picture of any person; punitive damages; statute of limitations
A. Any person whose name, portrait, or picture is used without having first obtained the written consent of such person, or if dead, of the surviving consort and if none, of the next of kin, or if a minor, the written consent of his or her parent or guardian, for advertising purposes or for the purposes of trade, such persons may maintain a suit in equity against the person, firm, or corporation so using such person’s name, portrait, or picture to prevent and restrain the use thereof; and may also sue and recover damages for any injuries sustained by reason of such use. And if the defendant shall have knowingly used such person’s name, portrait or picture in such manner as is forbidden or declared to be unlawful by this chapter, the jury, in its discretion, may award punitive damages.
B. No action shall be commenced under this section more than 20 years after the death of such person.
History
The record of this law’s original creation isn’t available online. The oldest record of it is its appearance in the Code of Virginia of 1950, as § 8-650. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1977, chapter 617; in 2015, chapter 710.
Code 1950, § 8-650; 1977, c. 617; 2015, c. 710.