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Sorry, impulsive lovebirds — looking at you Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker — you’re gonna have to help falling in love without Elvis Presley, because corporate is blocking those famous Las Vegas chapels from using his image.
In a move that’s gotta have the Vegas wedding biz all shaken up … Authentic Brands Group is playing the Scrooge, if you will, of love. The company, which handles all licensing for the Elvis estate, fired off cease and desist letters last month to all Vegas chapels.
Make no mistake, quickie nuptials are big money makers for Sin City — generating about $2 billion each year — and city officials say “The King” plays a role in a significant number of those ceremonies.
Just ask the newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Barker … who threw their own Elvis-themed “wedding” back in April. Yes, it turned out they did it just for the pics — a sort of dry run for their actual wedding(s) — and the camp of it all, but you get the point. Who doesn’t love Elvis-hosted love???
The answer is, apparently, Authentic Brands Group … which basically said it’s now or never for the chapels to knock off all unauthorized use of “Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements” of The King’s persona because all of that stuff is trademarked.
If you’re wondering … any Elvis-themed stage productions are still in the clear — live performances with impersonators are protected under Nevada’s right of publicity law.
But, for now, the wedding chapels are more like heartbreak hotels for Elvis-loving couples.