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Chapter 540 — Right of Publicity

Florida Statute 540.08

“Unauthorized publication of name or likeness”

What it means

No person may publish, print, display, or otherwise publicly use the name, portrait, photograph, or other likeness of a natural person for purposes of trade or for any commercial or advertising purpose without express written or oral consent. Consent comes from the person; from anyone the person authorized in writing to license commercial use; or, if the person is deceased, from a person or entity authorized in writing to license it, or, if none, from any one member of a class made up of the surviving spouse and surviving children.

Without consent, the person, an authorized licensee, or the person with the right to consent may sue to enjoin the use and recover damages, including an amount that would have been a reasonable royalty, and punitive or exemplary damages. Using the likeness of a member of the armed forces without consent can add a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation. The section does not apply to bona fide news reports, resale of works the person consented to, or photographs of a person solely as a member of the public. No action may be brought for uses occurring more than 40 years after the person's death.

— What it says
  • Commercial, trade, or advertising use of a name, portrait, photograph, or other likeness requires express written or oral consent. (§ 540.08(1))
  • After death, a person authorized in writing to license the likeness consents. If none, any one of the surviving spouse and surviving children may consent. (§ 540.08(1)(c))
  • Remedies include an injunction, damages including a reasonable royalty, and punitive or exemplary damages. (§ 540.08(2))
  • For a member of the armed forces, a court may add a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation, and each commercial transaction is a violation. (§ 540.08(3))
  • The section does not apply to bona fide news reports, resale of consented works, or photographs of a person solely as a member of the public. (§ 540.08(4))
  • No action may be brought for uses occurring more than 40 years after the person's death. (§ 540.08(5))

Text of the statute (2026)

§ 540.08(1)
(1) No person shall publish, print, display or otherwise publicly use for purposes of trade or for any commercial or advertising purpose the name, portrait, photograph, or other likeness of any natural person without the express written or oral consent to such use given by: (a) Such person; or (b) Any other person, firm or corporation authorized in writing by such person to license the commercial use of her or his name or likeness; or (c) If such person is deceased, any person, firm or corporation authorized in writing to license the commercial use of her or his name or likeness, or if no person, firm or corporation is so authorized, then by any one from among a class composed of her or his surviving spouse and surviving children.
§ 540.08(2)
(2) In the event the consent required in subsection (1) is not obtained, the person whose name, portrait, photograph, or other likeness is so used, or any person, firm, or corporation authorized by such person in writing to license the commercial use of her or his name or likeness, or, if the person whose likeness is used is deceased, any person, firm, or corporation having the right to give such consent, as provided hereinabove, may bring an action to enjoin such unauthorized publication, printing, display or other public use, and to recover damages for any loss or injury sustained by reason thereof, including an amount which would have been a reasonable royalty, and punitive or exemplary damages.
§ 540.08(3)
(3) If a person uses the name, portrait, photograph, or other likeness of a member of the armed forces without obtaining the consent required in subsection (1) and such use is not subject to any exception listed in this section, a court may impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation in addition to the civil remedies contained in subsection (2). Each commercial transaction constitutes a violation under this section. As used in this section, the term “member of the armed forces” means an officer or enlisted member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard of the United States, the Florida National Guard, and the United States Reserve Forces, including any officer or enlisted member who died as a result of injuries sustained in the line of duty.
§ 540.08(4)
(4) The provisions of this section shall not apply to: (a) The publication, printing, display, or use of the name or likeness of any person in any newspaper, magazine, book, news broadcast or telecast, or other news medium or publication as part of any bona fide news report or presentation having a current and legitimate public interest and where such name or likeness is not used for advertising purposes; (b) The use of such name, portrait, photograph, or other likeness in connection with the resale or other distribution of literary, musical, or artistic productions or other articles of merchandise or property where such person has consented to the use of her or his name, portrait, photograph, or likeness on or in connection with the initial sale or distribution thereof; or (c) Any photograph of a person solely as a member of the public and where such person is not named or otherwise identified in or in connection with the use of such photograph.
§ 540.08(5)
(5) No action shall be brought under this section by reason of any publication, printing, display, or other public use of the name or likeness of a person occurring after the expiration of 40 years from and after the death of such person.
§ 540.08(6)
(6) As used in this section, a person’s “surviving spouse” is the person’s surviving spouse under the law of her or his domicile at the time of her or his death, whether or not the spouse has later remarried; and a person’s “children” are her or his immediate offspring and any children legally adopted by the person. Any consent provided for in subsection (1) shall be given on behalf of a minor by the guardian of her or his person or by either parent.

Excerpts are the subsections the summary relies on. Read the full official text of § 540.08.

History. s. 1, ch. 67-57; s. 751, ch. 97-103; s. 2, ch. 2007-164; s. 16, ch. 2022-183.

— In a Florida probate

How it applies

For a decedent, subsection (1)(c) ranks a written authorization to license the name or likeness ahead of the class of surviving spouse and children. Only if no one is authorized in writing may any one member of that class consent. Under subsection (6), the surviving spouse is determined under the law of the decedent's domicile at death, whether or not the spouse has remarried, and consent for a minor is given by the guardian of the person or either parent. The 40-year period in subsection (5) runs from the date of death.

Questions people ask

How long does the right of publicity last in Florida?
Under § 540.08(5), no action may be brought for a use of a person's name or likeness occurring after 40 years from the person's death.
Who can consent to commercial use of a deceased person's name or likeness in Florida?
Under § 540.08(1)(c), a person or entity authorized in writing to license the commercial use. If no one is so authorized, any one member of the class made up of the surviving spouse and surviving children.

Sources

Last checked: October 17, 2026

The official text
This page is a plain-English summary, verified against the 2026 Florida Statutes — it is not the statute, and it isn't legal advice for your situation.
Read § 540.08

Published by the Probate.Help editorial team.How these pages are written and checked.

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