B.J. Novak Appears In Hilarious Advertisments After This BIG MIstake; Could He Legally Stop It?
B.J. Novak's accident wasn't bad as his face reportedly made it to several products from all around the world after a big mistake.
According to NME, a photo of the actor's face was accidentally uploaded to a public domain website.
He mentioned that his face made it to countries such as Sweden, China, Uruguay, and more on his Instagram account.
Some of the products his face was slapped on include colognes, electric razors, and face paints.
Per the New York Times, since his image was uploaded to a public domain website, it could be used in anything without permission.
Many companies have been using his face for years, and it's not illegal. BuzzFeed also noted that a whole collection of household and personal care products from all over the globe features his face.
The abovementioned outlet suggests that Novak appears to be taking his stock photo at the time. However, the photographer who took the picture couldn't be determined.
It also appears that the actor is aware that his face has been plastered in several products as early as 2014 as he hilariously posted the photo of several boxes of men's fragrances on his Instagram.
"I am #blessed to announce the launch of my fragrance, available now in a Swedish department store," he wrote. (check out the photo below)
The outlet mentioned that there are a few legal options for Novak to pursue if he wanted to stop the production of the said products; however, in the social media platform, he said he's "too amused to do anything about it."
"It's really the fact that his face or likeness is associated with a particular product, because they're using his likeness in order to attract customers and basically make money." copyright and trademark lawyer Marc Misthal told the outlet.
The actor's legal team could send cease-and-desist letters to various companies that used his face for their products.
B.J. Novak Not The First Actor To Have Stock Photos Circulating On Several Advertisements
"Shang Chi" actor Simu Liu previously revealed that he modeled for stock photos years back. He was paid $120 to shoot the photos.
The said images have appeared in several advertisements, textbooks, and fliers.
In a 2018 tweet, he said the particular photo shoot always "finds a way to come back and haunt" him.
