Business Contracts Use of Names and Images/Copyright Issues

[Chris]

I am creating a seminar for sale online. In the seminar I have actual "cases" that were in the news and are public information. In two cases the victims (3 of them) are deceased and in the other the victim is alive. Do I need permission to use their real names and pictures that are readily available online?

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Use of real names does not require any permission. Those are noncopyrightable facts. With regard to pictures, you would likely need to obtain rights as per copyright law. I'm not sure what the pictures being "readily available" means but just because it's online doesn't just place it into the "public domain" and anyone can use it. This is a common error and a misunderstanding of the law. Assume you cannot use a photo unless you can determine who owns it and what licenses you may need, if any.