Want to get hitched by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll? It looks like the option is sticking around in Las Vegas.
The licensing company that controls Elvis Presley’s name and image has shifted from threatening legal action against Las Vegas chapels that perform Elvis weddings to offering them partnerships, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Thursday.
The company, Authentic Brands Group, had previously issued several area chapels cease-and-desist letters, warning them to stop using the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s “name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise, and otherwise,” according to the Review-Journal.
In a statement sent to CNET on Thursday evening, ABG said it’s working with chapels “to ensure that the usage of Elvis’ name, image and likeness are in keeping with his legacy.”
“We are sorry that recent communication with a small number of Las Vegas-based chapels caused confusion and concern,” the statement said. “That was never our intention.”
In the Review-Journal’s report on Thursday, Kayla Collins, co-owner of LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and the Las Vegas-based Little Chapel of the Hearts, told the Review-Journal that she had been offered a $20,000-a-year licensing deal by ABG, and that it “was not on the table a few days ago.”
“Frankly, I think this thing going to the public has changed their minds,” Collins told the paper. AP News and The Guardian are among the publications that picked up news of the crackdown on Elvis-themed weddings.
Las Vegas chapels depend greatly on ceremonies done by Elvis impressionists, according to the Review-Journal. Impressionists also say their business would be hard hit if Elvis-themed weddings were taken off the table.
On Tuesday, prior to the partnership news, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman told the Review-Journal that ABG’s potential ban was “an industry-devastating act.”
Goodman’s office said on Thursday that she didn’t have any additional statements to provide at this time.
