Dead celebrities' families want ID rights

NEW YORK, June 13 (UPI) -- Family members of several deceased New York celebrities want to make it illegal for others to profit from the stars' images.

With identity rights of late celebrities currently unprotected in New York, families of late sports stars and film idols alike have encouraged lawmakers to pass legislation that would stop such image profiteering, the New York Daily News said Tuesday.

Legislation has since been created to deal with such issues and the legal measure has gained support from actor Al Pacino and singer Yoko Ono.

At the heart of the proposed law would be punishments for anyone using dead celebrities' images, names or voices to create unauthorized products.

The legal effort would also extend such protection 70 years beyond a star's death, a move guitarist Jimi Hendrix's sister said is only fair.

"When you create the image you have and make it famous, and it becomes part of your legacy, why can't it be part of your family's?" Janie Hendrix asked the newspaper.