Graceland have
partly backed down from banning ‘Elvis’
but it seems that you have to get a ‘licence’ to stage an Elvis Show.
Since many fan club shows are purely for charity is Graceland charging
licence fees thus denying charities this extra funding ?
Ananova
story filed: 09:18 Monday 25th November 2002
Festivals featuring Elvis Presley impersonators
can continue after Graceland decided to change its mind and support such
events.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, the business arm of
the multi-million-dollar Presley estate, had decided in October to no
longer associate with festivals using Elvis impersonators. But after
receiving about 30 letters from festival organisers and fans, the estate
changed its mind. Jack Soden, chief executive officer of EPE said most
Elvis impersonators do "heartfelt" tributes to Elvis.
"But we've all seen pictures of people who
just should not have gone outdoors in outfits like that," he said.
Soden added the idea for the policy change came
from some festivals "becoming more about Elvis impersonators than
Elvis."
LATEST
EPE SCAM
We
have been informed that the latest EPE scam is to demand all the names and
addresses of members of Elvis fan clubs who have been silly enough to
apply for an ‘official’ licence. Under UK law to demand such names and
addresses is a criminal offence and subject to punishment under the Data
Protection Act (see
section 61-1) :
61.
- (1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a body
corporate and is proved to have been committed with the consent or
connivance of or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of any
director, manager, secretary or similar officer of the body corporate or
any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, he as well as
the body corporate shall be guilty of that offence and be liable to be
proceeded against and punished accordingly.
If
you belong to an Elvis Fan Club that is recognized by the megalomaniacs at
EPE you should immediately inform the club that you do not want your
personal details given to EPE. If your fan club in the UK has passed on
your personal details to EPE you should report the fan club to the Data
Protection authorities of the Government.
In other countries you should enquire
which Government department to contact. If you want ‘Elvis Freedom’
persuade your fan club to becomeindependent
of EPE.
'ELVIS'
IS NOW OFFICIALLY BANNED
Fan clubs around the world have now been informed that the E-word has now been officially banned by Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. This decree has been notified by email to Lee Dawson of the
Elvis Express Fan Club (UK) from a lady called Jen in the fan relations department at
Graceland. A copy of the email is featured below.
I apologize it has taken me so long to get back to you about your email.
After must thought and consideration, we have decided to review and revise our policy regarding the licensing of annual festivals. We will no longer license any festivals that include tribute shows or talent contests. We have decided to focus our efforts on the real performance material and actual persona of Elvis Presley.
Those who still do want to keep tribute shows and talent contests are part of their festivals, will not be able to use Elvis' name, image or likeness as part of them.
This however is not including fan clubs. We know that many of our fan
clubs do events around the world to raise money for charity that do involve Elvis impersonators. So anyone who is a recognized fan club at this time, will be able to use an impersonator, but will not be able to use Elvis in the title of their event.
Thanks,
Jen
It seems that if you are not recognized by Graceland any 'Elvis Shows' you promote can only use Elvis impersonators that do not look like Elvis and you cannot call them
'Elvis Shows', as ordered by this EPE decree.
However, if you are recognized by Graceland (God help YOU) I believe you probably can use an impersonator that looks like Elvis Presley but you still cannot promote the show using the name of Elvis. It is not made clear in this decree whether an Elvis
fan club that uses the name
"Elvis"
in their fan club title can use that name to promote their "Elvis Show" (E-Show). Can
'Elvis Country' use their own fan club and trading name of many years if they want to promote an E-show or even the
world famous Candlelight Service ?
ALL POWER CORRUPTS !ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY !
It seems nothing that EPE has done over the years to discredit, demean, intimidate, harass and
threaten US Elvis Fan Clubs has got them to unite, fight back and challenge the evil monopoly
of the megalomaniacs that run EPE. They have been absolutely corrupted by
their absolute monopoly in the States. In 1985 I stood alone in US Federal Court and not one American
fan or fan club gave a sworn statement on my behalf supporting me when I was sued by EPE for
using the name Elvis Presley on my merchandise. The fact that EPE were buying
my
Elvis merchandise in 1982 had no bearing on the US Judges that ridiculously ruled against me and in 1991 EPE were awarded
absolute monopoly power in the USA in use of the name Elvis Presley.
When I lost my US Federal
lawsuit every Elvis fan in America lost and every Elvis fan club. In fact, the world lost and so many wonderful Elvis projects and promotions have been cancelled over the years.
There is a simple anecdote that has been totally ignored : "together we stand, divided we fall". Perhaps fans in America will finally stand up to the bully boys at EPE and fight back. They don't care about Elvis and never have cared. They just want to line their own pockets. The directors of EPE are living proof that Elvis is dead because you know what he would have done to every one of them
for the way they have treated his family, his friends and the fans he loved ?
Revolutions are caused by people standing together to fight for what they believe in and if you are a true Elvis fan just say to EPE
"I have had enough and I am not going to take it any more”. Stand up and be counted and fight for
"Elvis Freedom".
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
There are many simple things fans and fan clubs can do :
Become independent of EPE just like Lee Dawson www.eeefc.1colony.com
who is supported by Elvis' family through Donna Presley Early. Write to EPE and state you no longer want to be recognized by them and you will run your fan club independently. What has EPE ever done for you being
officially recognized, other than give you grief?
Delete from your websites that 'Elvis' and 'Elvis Presley' are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. In
the UK, the High Court and the Court of Appeals in a landmark Judgement cancelled their
trademarks, so such a claim here is fraudulent.
Contact all the Elvis fans and fan clubs you know informing them of this outrageous decree by EPE that you cannot use the name Elvis to promote your Elvis Shows. You are welcome to copy and pass on these notes and quote our website address
www.elvisly-yours.com
Contact the media and pass on this information. If enough fans called all the leading publications, radio and TV stations in the States to complain the media will be an ally and promote your fight for Elvis Freedom. Call the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dateline, 20/20, National Enquirer, Star, Globe, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, your local TV and Radio Stations and do it today !
Get the support of good lawyers who are honest enough and brave enough to fight for you for FREE.
Just think what publicity a courageous lawyer would receive. I did it in the UK and I am sure there are lawyers in the States who would love to challenge EPE in an anti-trust lawsuit on behalf the Elvis fans of America.
Boycott Graceland. Stop buying their ridiculously expensive memorabilia, stop going to Graceland until they change their management.
Telephone Graceland (+1-901-332-3322), email Graceland (fan_relations@elvis.com), write to Graceland to complain and try to get your message through to Lisa Marie Presley. Does she know or does she care what EPE are doing in her father's name to her family, his friends and Elvis fans?
Support Elvis Shows put on by fan clubs or promoters that are independent of EPE.
Outside the USA Elvis fan clubs and fans can tell EPE to go to hell because they will have very little chance of legally stopping Elvis Shows. In the UK the Courts have ruled that Elvis Presley is public domain. Elvis belongs to the people and not to a bunch of lawyers and EPE control freaks in Memphis.
It is the fans who put the shirt on Elvis' back and he didn't mind if they tore it off because he knew he owed everything to his fans. The fans have kept his memory alive all these years. If it wasn't for EPE continually threatening RCA/BMG Elvis would have been back at no.1 years ago. It was only pressure from NIKE, Disney and finally BMG that persuaded EPE to do a deal and allow Elvis to be promoted for the August Anniversary this year, 25 years late.
Where there is a will there is a way.
Elvis fans can make a difference. If even the use of the name 'Elvis' is now being denied to promote your events and your fan club you have to fight, you must fight, you owe it to Elvis. For inspiration read the Elvis fantasy
"Setting the Eagle Free" and the article about my legal battle the
"King and I".
UNITE and FIGHT for ELVIS FREEDOM...Today, Tomorrow and Forever !