What is the difference between the Right of Privacy and the Right of Publicity?

• A. The Right of Publicity seeks to compensate for the commercial value of a name or likeness; the Right of Privacy remedies hurt feelings or embarrassment
• B. The Right of Privacy seeks to compensate for the commercial value
• C. The Right of Publicity protects only deceased individuals
• D. The Right of Privacy is a federal right

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that publicity law centers on the economic value tied to a person’s name, image, or likeness, aiming to bar unauthorized commercial use and to compensate the person for the profits that use would have earned. Privacy law, by contrast, protects a person’s private life and personal information from intrusions or embarrassing disclosures, with remedies typically tied to harm to dignity or emotional distress rather than any commercial value.

So the best statement is that the Right of Publicity seeks to compensate for the commercial value of a name or likeness, while the Right of Privacy remedies hurt feelings or embarrassment. The former focuses on preventing exploitation for profit; the latter protects private life and dignity.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: the Right of Privacy is not about compensating commercial value—that would be the Right of Publicity. The Right of Privacy isn’t limited to deceased individuals; it generally protects living persons in various torts, and the Right of Privacy is not a federal right in the broad sense.