John Locher / AP
Elvis impersonator Brendan Paul (right) walks down the aisle during Katie Salvatore and Eric Wheeler’s wedding ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Earlier this month, Authentic Brands Group sent letters to stop and abandon several chapels, saying they had to comply by the end of May.
Las Vegas love chapels, which use a portrait of Elvis Presley, could find themselves in pathetic hotels.
The licensing company, which controls the name and image of “The King,” is ordering Sin City chapel operators to stop using Elvis in themed ceremonies, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
At the beginning of May, Authentic Brands Group sent letters to stop and abandon several chapels, which are expected to comply.
Because Elvis is so closely tied to the Vegas wedding industry, some say the move could decimate their business.
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“We’re a family business and now we stick to big dogs,” said Kayla Collins, who runs LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and Little Chapel of Hearts with her husband.
“That’s our bread and butter. I don’t get it. We just ran over Covid again, then this is going to happen.”
Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who led a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said the order for the chapels to stop using Elvis could not come at a worse time for the sector.
John Locher / AP
Charles King sings as Elvis when he marries Alice Funk and Vaughan Chambers in A Little Wedding Chapel on May 12, 2020 in Las Vegas. Because Elvis is so closely tied to the Vegas wedding industry, some say the move could decimate their business.
The city’s wedding industry generates $ 2 billion (NZ $ 3 billion) a year, and officials say Elvis-themed weddings represent a significant number of ceremonies.
“It could ruin part of our wedding industry. A lot of people could lose their livelihoods,” Goya said.
In one chapel last weekend, an impersonator of Elvis instead changed into a leather jacket, jeans and fedora for a “rock’n’roll” ceremony, the Review-Journal reported on Monday.
Graceland Wedding Chapel, which hosts 6,400 Elvis-themed weddings a year, has not yet received a warning, according to manager Rod Musum.
File
“Elvis”, “Elvis Presley” and “The King of Rock and Roll” are registered trademarks, said a letter from the Authentic Brands Group.
Authentic Brands did not respond immediately to an email request for comments.
The licensing company oversees the assets of big names such as movie star Marilyn Monroe and boxer Muhammad Ali, as well as 50 consumer brands.
In a letter to stop and end, the company says it will stop the unauthorized use of “Presley’s name, image, voice image and other elements of Elvis Presley’s personality in advertisements, goods and the like.”
The letter also stated that “Elvis”, “Elvis Presley” and “King of Rock and Roll” were trademarks.
The regulation should not translate into legal action against Elvis-themed stage performances in Las Vegas, such as All Shook Up, because pretending to be a live show is considered an exception under Nevada publicity law, according to Mark Tratos, a local lawyer. who helped write the statute.
“Elvis’ show is a performer who basically entertains others by recreating the man on stage,” Tratos said.
Kent Ripley, whose company is called Elvis Weddings, said he had never encountered the problem in 25 years as Elvis.
“They want to protect the Elvis brand. But what do they protect by taking Elvis out to the public?” Ripley asked.
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