Licensing company could leave Vegas wedding business all shook up
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According to the company that has trademarked everything Elvis, the King might have to leave the lucrative and kitschy Las Vegas wedding chapel business.
As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Authentic Brands Group, which licenses Elvis Presley-related merchandise, has issued a cease-and-desist letter dated May 19 to several Las Vegas chapels that use the King’s likeness in ceremonies and photos.
The issue, for chapel owners, is that Elvis-themed weddings are king when it comes to business.
“This couldn’t hit at a worse time. It’s not a good thing,” Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who has presided over Las Vegas’ wedding marketing campaign, told the newspaper on Monday. “It might destroy a portion of our wedding industry. A number of people might lose their livelihood.”
According to the article, ABG intends to stop the unauthorized use of “Elvis Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise, and otherwise.” ABG has specified that “Elvis, “Elvis Presley,” “and “The King of Rock and Roll” are all protected trademarks.
