Actor Al Pacino and Yoko Ono are lobbying the New York legislature to make it a misdemeanor to merchandise unauthorized images of dead celebrities for up to 70 years after their death. The use of sound recordings, or faces and names on anything from T-shirts to bobble heads would require approval from a celebrity's estate.
The measure could face stiff resistance if lawmakers think it could limit artistic expression.
"You want to stop the bobble head dolls," explained one assemblyman. "You don't want to stop the plays." Bill backers include the families of a number of famous New Yorkers, including Jimi Hendrix, Babe Ruth and Arthur Ashe. (More celebrity stories.)