Saving faces of the famous

The names and faces of famous New Yorkers including Judy Garland and Malcolm X will be protected in New York from advertising and promotion not authorised by their estates under a measure being pushed by Al Pacino and Yoko Ono.

New York law already protects the unauthorised use of celebrities' faces and names while they are alive, but there is no safeguard after they die.

The campaign follows a May US District Court decision in New York City in which Marilyn Monroe's estate lost its fight over unauthorised images of the actress on T-shirts.