Legal News

Sarkozy and Bruni Sue Ryanair Over Rights of Publicity

By Peter Lattman

It’s not exactly healthy for a new marriage when your wife notices that you’ve been typing in “Carla Bruni” on Google Images. Admittedly, the Law Blog has been a bit obsessed with the romance between Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni. But we really haven’t had a legal angle. Until this morning.

The WaPo reports that France’s president and his supermodel rocker girlfriend has sued Ryanair for running an ad in a French newspaper that included a picture of the canoodling couple. A thought bubble above Bruni’s head said: “With Ryanair, all my family can come to my wedding.” Though they’ve acknowledged wedding bells in their future, they’ve refused to commit to date.

Said the airline spokesman: “It was an honest attempt by Ryanair to reflect humorously and positively on this very public and publicized relationship.”

But Thierry Herzog, a lawyer for the pair, doesn’t think it’s so funny and wants compensation for image rights. He says Bruni normally earns about $735,000 for appearing in ads — good work if you can get it. So that’s what she wants in damages. Sarkozy, for his part, would settle for “one symbolical euro of damage.” That’s about $1.47, for those keeping score at home.

Law Blog YouTube Video of the Day: Here’s Carla Bruni strumming her guitar and singing “L’Amour.” Click here and enjoy with your Friday morning coffee.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on February 01, 2008 (boomark / email).