Famous Athletes Sue Samsung Over Its 'Olympic Genome Project' on Facebook

Famous Athletes Sue Samsung Over Its 'Olympic Genome Project' on Facebook The company is hauled into court over an app that tells the social network's users how they are connected and what they have in common with Olympic greats like Mark Spitz, Greg Louganis, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Samsung's "Olympic Genome Project" app allows Facebook users to see how they may be connected to, and what they have in common with, famous Olympic athletes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The app cross-references a Facebook user's profile information with a database of about 3,000 Olympic athletes. But Samsung never got permission to use the athletes' names and images, the lawsuit by 18 famous Olympians states. The athletes suing over Samsung's Olympic Facebook app include Mark Spitz, Greg Louganis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Janet Evans, Jason Lezak, Amanda Beard, and Dara Torres, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The athletes claim Samsung violated a California law that prohibits the use of another person's name, photograph, or likeness for commercial purposes without consent. The law is sometimes referred to as California's "right of publicity" statute. The Samsung app prominently displays advertising for Samsung's products next to the Olympians' names and images, "to create the impression that Plaintiffs endorse Defendants' products and business," the lawsuit states. Más en: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/olympic-athletes-samsung-lawsuit-human-genome-project-316980