The company that owns the rights to “The King of Rock and Roll” is now taking a hard line against the chapel in Las Vegas that offers wedding events with an Elvis theme. In a letter to all the chapels, Authentic Brands Group (ABG) writes that they are not allowed to use Elvis in their ceremonies. Kapella must apply for a license before they can use “name, likeness, voice and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise and more”. It writes the Las Vegas Review-Journal. They also specify that “Elvis”, “Elvis Presley” and “King of rock and roll” are protected trademarks. Chapels that do not follow the terms within a week can expect legal action. Trouser suit and sunglasses Jesse Garon is among those who make a living by imitating Elvis Presley. He performs about 650 wedding ceremonies a year. Dressed in trouser suit, sunglasses and with a pink Cadillac convertible from 1955, for those who want it. Elvis impersonator Jesse Garon poses with a couple who have renewed their marriage vows after 10 years as married couples. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters Now he is in danger of having to find another profession. – It would have crushed me if I had to stop this, says Garon to the newspaper. – I do not know what I would invent if I could not act as Elvis for these couples. That’s at least 80 percent of my job as Elvis. Garon is backed by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. Ho meiner AMG is looking to destroy the industry. – These people openly do not give a damn about this society or the people in it. Of course, one gets both song and dance with the purchase in an Elvis wedding. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters After two years of virtually no business due to the corona, interest in Elvis weddings has picked up again. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters A large part of Las Vegas’ tourism industry is linked to Elvis Presley. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters The state wedding industry rakes in around two billion dollars annually. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters The outfit must be in place if one is to look like Elvis Presley. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters The couple Juliet and Stuart Williams are like new lovers again after renewing their marriage vows. They have been married for ten years. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters Jesse Garon has not complied with the order from AMG. On Monday alone this week, he performed four wedding ceremonies. Photo: STEVE MARCUS / Reuters – We kept Elvis alive – This could not have come at a worse time, says Lynn Goya. She is responsible for marketing the wedding opportunities in Las Vegas, and points out that the industry had just recovered from the corona. – It can ruin a part of our wedding industry. A number of people can lose their livelihood. What’s up with Elvis and Las Vegas? Elvis Presley became associated with Las Vegas in the 60’s and 70’s. In a 1965 film, Viva Las Vegas, Elvis sings the title track that has become the city’s unofficial “tune song”. Elvis married Priscilla in Las Vegas in 1967. Between July 1969 and December 1976, Elvis held more than 600 shows in Las Vegas. Elvis Presley died of cardiac arrest in August 1977 – almost 45 years ago. Source: The Guardian, Wikipedia At the end of June, the feature film about Elvis will also premiere, something that will probably revive interest in the rock star’s life. The chapel owners also believe it could give the Elvis wedding a boost. The head of Chapel Vegas Weddings and Viva Las Vegas Weddings, Melody Willis-Williams, says most of them are small businesses. – We are up against a superpower with a lot of money. The lawyer’s draws can kill us in fighting this. Another Elvis impersonator, Christian Morales, is waiting for tourists to come and take a picture with him on The Strip. Photo: Julie Jacobson / AP Elvis wedding is synonymous with Las Vegas, she says. – We’ll keep Elvis alive. Want to protect the brand In a statement, AMG writes that they have strong relations with the Elvis imitators and that they have “no intention of closing the chapel that offers Elvis packages in Las Vegas”. “We want to work with each and every one of these small businesses to ensure that their use of Elvis’ name, image and likeness is officially licensed and authorized by Buet, so that they can continue their activities,” the group said, according to The Guardian. . But the owner of Elvis Weddings, Kent Ripley, still does not like the situation. – They want to protect the Elvis brand. But what do they protect by taking Elvis away from the public sphere? It’s almost unthinkable to travel to Las Vegas without meeting an Elvis impersonator. Photo: John Locher / AP
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Elvis Presley wedding in danger of disappearing – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
