(1) Every individual or personality has a property right in the use of his or her name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness. Such right shall be freely transferable, assignable, and licensable, in whole or in part, by contract or inter vivos transfer. This right shall not expire upon the death of the individual or personality, but shall be owned and enforceable by the following successors, heirs, or other transferees of living or deceased individuals or personalities:
(a) Except where such rights were transferred or assigned before such deceased personality's death by means of any contract or trust instrument, the right shall be owned by the person entitled to such rights under the deceased individual's or personality's last will and testament or, if none, then by the beneficiaries or heirs under the laws of intestate succession applicable to interests in intangible personal property generally of the individual's or personality's domicile, regardless of whether the law of the domicile of the deceased individual or personality, at the time of death, or thereafter, recognizes a similar or identical property right; or
(b) If the deceased individual or personality transferred or assigned any interest in the personality rights during his or her life by means of any contract or trust instrument, then the transferred or assigned interest shall be held as follows:
(i) If the transferred or assigned interest was held in trust, in accordance with the terms of the trust;
(ii) If the interest is subject to a cotenancy with any survivorship provisions or payable-on-death provisions, in accordance with those provisions;
(iii) If the interest is subject to any contract, including without limitation an exclusive license, assignment, or a community property agreement, in accordance with the terms of the applicable contract or contracts;
(iv) If the interest has been transferred or assigned to a third person in a form that is not addressed in this section, by the individual or personality, or the successor, heir, or other transferee of the living or deceased individual or personality, then the interest may be transferred, assigned, or licensed by such third person, in whole or in part, by any otherwise permissible form of inter vivos or testamentary transfer or, if none is applicable, under the laws of intestate succession applicable to interests in intangible personal property of the third person's domicile, regardless of whether the law of the domicile of the deceased third party, at the time of death, or thereafter, recognizes a similar or identical property right.
(2) A property right exists whether or not such rights were commercially exploited by or under the authority of the individual or the personality or the individual's or personality's successors or transferees during the individual's or the personality's lifetime.
(3) The rights recognized under this chapter shall be deemed to have existed before June 11, 1998, and at the time of death of any deceased individual or personality or subsequent successor of their rights for the purpose of determining the person or persons entitled to these property rights as provided in this section.
[ 2008 c 62 § 3; 1998 c 274 § 3.]
NOTES:
Application—2008 c 62: See note following RCW 63.60.010.