Using crack whores to sell French magazines.

Last year the London Metropolitan Police ran a poster campaign against drugs showing the effects of crack on a womans face - BBC news has larger versions of the mugshots.
While some argued that the images were a privacy violation, the woman wasn't in the UK, the images were a series of her booking photographs in the United States over the course of ten years, and as such are public record.

This is the British ad campaign is depicted top.

Now, in France there's a new magazine called Choc magazine, a 'presse a sensation' meaning it's cheap tabloid journalism worse than the Sun has to offer. They launched with the same images as their ad camapign - causing governmental agencies and charities to denounce the mag from day one. It's one thing to use the images to demonstrate the long term effects of drug abuse and street life in hopes of scaring some viewers straight, it's quite another to use it sell tabloids.
(inside is a screenshot of Choc's homepage)

A screenshot of Choc's homepage the day this article is published -

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Anonymous Adgrunt's picture
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AnonymousCoward's picture

ive seen the same campaign here in Peru .... a year ago the same poster with the face of a peruvian man was everywhere in Lima PERU... i tought it was a very creative idea ... but now i'm a lil bit dissapointed...

Plywood's picture

"booking photographs in the United States over the course of ten years, and as such are public record. "

Bullshit! You can't just use someone's likeness in an ad without his/her permission.

If you tried this crap with a disgraced white collar criminal, the legal shit would hiut the fan.

Dabitch's picture

I'm just quoting the Hollywood police website, where the Hollywood Police department says exactly that. (scroll down to beneath the booking photos). Who knows if a white collar criminal could prevent booking photos from being published left and right, when famous people can't - recall Hugh Grant, Bill Gates, Michael Jackson, James brown.. and I think I saw Nick Nolte in some ad for hairdressers... Yet nobody has been sued.

Dabitch's picture

Interesting! Would be cool if we could track down the Peruvian ad and get an image of that, do you recall the name of the sender (an anti-drug org. or something like that?)

Andreas-Udd's picture

With the addition of the Peruvian one this would make a great badlnader-pairing!

But only if the Peruvian ad also used the godawful pun "changing the face" like the Met ad.

CopyWhore's picture

Funny, at first glance, I thought those Roseanne Holland shots WERE Nick Nolte!

Actually, though, you're right. If you use someone's image in an ad, you need permission...Several years back I was going to use Ron Jeremy in an ad for garden hoses, but he we couldn't afford his fee. (Which wasn't monetary, mind you... He quite liked the account girl, and wanted her as part of the payment...but I digress).

Yeah, if you don't get permission, you're legally liable...

Tigger's picture

Which wasn't monetary, mind you... He quite liked the account girl, and wanted her as part of the payment...but I digress).

Interesting. Turns out account people are happy to let the client f#$% them but not the talent.

CopyWhore's picture

Yeah, it's ironic, isn't it?

Of course, as most creatives probably already know, being buggered by the client is pretty de rigueur nowadays... It's just a little suprising when it comes from a prospective spokesperson who wants to bugger the AE...Although, in this case, not suprising at all!

TDD's picture

Mug shots may be released at discretion of sheriff

A sheriff may choose to release mug shots or not, but once he releases them they must be made available to any requester, the state attorney general ruled in mid-July.

July 25, 2003 -- A sheriff has discretion to release copies of photographs of people who are arrested to the public or media, the California Attorney General's Office opined July 14. However, once a photo has been released, it must be available to anyone else who requests it.

http://www.rcfp.org/news/2003/0725opinio.html

stevejohnson's picture

You can't just use someone's likeness in an ad without his/her permission. The photos which we upload should not be disgraced by other person. Its a offense and should punish the culprit those who done this type of crime. There is a law passed by the US government on these crimes.