One of the happy-tacky staples of Las Vegas commerce and culture, the Elvis Presley-themed weddings performed in the resort city’s chapels, is facing a legal shutdown from the company that holds the licensing rights to the King of Rock & Roll’s image.
What Happened: The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which licenses Presley-related merchandise, issued cease-and-desist orders to several Las Vegas chapels threatening legal action if they continue to use “Elvis Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise, and otherwise.”
ABG is a licensing company that manages the estates of iconic celebrities from years passed, including Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali. Among the Las Vegas businesses targeted by ABG are Viva Las Vegas/Vegas Weddings, the Elvis Chapel, Elvis Weddings and Las Vegas Elvis Chapel – in their cases, the ceremonies are officiated by Presley imitators who either appear as the high-swinging 1950s "Ed Sullivan Show" sensation or as the 1970s version in tight sequined jumpsuits, thick sideburns and longish jet-black hair.
Why It Happened: The cease-and-desist letters come ahead of the June 24 theatrical release of the Warner Bros. (NASDAQ:WBD) biopic “Elvis” starring Austin Butler as the singer and Tom Hanks as his controversial manager Col. Tom Parker. It is unclear if Warner Bros. played any role in ABG’s actions, although the timing seems more than a little coincidental.
Reaction to ABG’s warnings has been tumultuous, with many of the chapels only now regaining their stability after the economic damage brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
“This could be very damaging to our industry,” said Melody Willis-Williams, president of Vegas Weddings and Viva Las Vegas Weddings, in a Review-Journal interview. “Most of us are small businesses, and we’re up against a superpower with a lot of money. It could kill us in lawyer fees to fight this.”
Williams also warned that ABG could erase an aspect of Las Vegas that many people have adored for decades.
“Elvis weddings are synonymous with Las Vegas,” Williams said. “We keep Elvis alive.”
Photo: A 2011 wedding ceremony in the Doo Wop Diner at Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, with an Elvis Presley imitator officiating the ceremony. Photo by Alison Giguere / Flickr Creative Commons.
