No more Elvis weddings in Las Vegas chapels, licensing company says

Las Vegas chapels of appreciate that use Elvis Presley’s likeness could obtain themselves starting to be Heartbreak Resorts.

The licensing business that controls the name and graphic of “The King” is ordering Sin Metropolis chapel operators to cease utilizing Elvis in themed ceremonies, the Las Vegas Assessment-Journal reported on Monday. Authentic Brands Team despatched stop-and-desist letters in early May possibly to numerous chapels, which are predicted to be compliant by now.

With Elvis so closely tied to Vegas’ wedding industry, some say the move could decimate their corporations.

“We are a family members-operate organization, and now we’re hanging with the huge dogs,” explained Kayla Collins, who operates LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and the Minimal Chapel of Hearts with her partner. “That’s our bread and butter. I don’t get it. We had been just hitting our stride again through COVID, then this takes place.”

Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who led a advertising and marketing marketing campaign marketing Las Vegas as a wedding desired destination, stated the order for chapels to halt employing Elvis could not have occur at a even worse time for the sector.

The city’s wedding ceremony industry generates $2 billion a 12 months, and officers say Elvis-themed weddings stand for a important amount of the ceremonies performed.

“It may demolish a portion of our marriage ceremony sector. A variety of folks may well drop their livelihood,” Goya reported.

A person chapel past weekend experienced its Elvis impersonator modify in its place into a leather-based jacket, jeans and a fedora for a “rock ‘n’ roll” themed ceremony, the Assessment-Journal documented.

Graceland Wedding ceremony Chapel, which performs 6,400 Elvis-themed weddings for each calendar year, has not been served a warning but, according to manager Rod Musum.

In the stop-and-desist letter, the corporation reported it will halt unauthorized use of “Presley’s title, likeness, voice impression, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in ads, products and usually.” The letter also said “Elvis,” “Elvis Presley,” “and “The King of Rock and Roll” are shielded emblems.

In a statement Wednesday, Genuine Makes Group reported it has potent associations with Elvis tribute artists and lover festivals. There is “no intention to shut down chapels that give Elvis offers in Las Vegas.”

“We are in search of to partner with just about every of these little corporations to be certain that their use of Elvis’ name, impression and likeness are formally certified and authorized by the estate, so they can go on their functions,” Reliable Makes Team explained. “Elvis is embedded into the fabric of Las Vegas record.”

The licensing organization oversees the estates of huge names like movie star Marilyn Monroe and boxer Muhammad Ali and 50 consumer makes.

The get should really not translate into lawful action towards Elvis-themed phase shows in Las Vegas such as “All Shook Up” since impersonating someone for are living performances these as reveals is viewed as an exception underneath Nevada’s appropriate of publicity regulation, in accordance to Mark Tratos, a neighborhood attorney who assisted publish the statute.

“An Elvis demonstrate is a performer primarily entertaining others by re-building that person onstage,” Tratos reported.

Presley turned indelibly connected to Sin Metropolis in the ‘60s and ‘70s. His 1964 film, “Viva Las Vegas,” yielded a title keep track of that became the city’s unofficial theme. In July 1969, Presley famously redefined the Vegas residency with his dwell stage comeback at the Las Vegas Intercontinental Hotel. What started off as a 4-7 days gig turned into much more than 600 shows and lasted till December 1976.

Presley himself obtained married in Las Vegas in 1967 to spouse Priscilla, cementing his affiliation with Vegas weddings.

Kent Ripley, whose small business is termed Elvis Weddings, stated he has never ever operate into this problem in 25 years of undertaking as Elvis.

“They want to defend the Elvis brand name. But what are they guarding by getting Elvis away from the community?” Ripley asked.