The Supreme Court ruled Friday that publicity rights do not apply to animals, overturning lower court rulings ordering a video game maker to compensate horse owners for using their steeds' names in games without approval.
Presiding Justice Shigeo Takii rejected the owners' compensation claims against Tokyo-based software maker and retailer Tecmo Ltd., saying, "Even if the names and other factors attracted customers, it is inappropriate to acknowledge (the publicity rights) without any legal basis."
Publicity rights refer to the rights of celebrities to monopolize economic benefits resulting from their names or images. In Japan, there is no written regulation on such rights, but stars and athletes have been granted the rights in past court rulings.