Calling Alexander Graham Bell

Ayun Halliday investigates the uses of inventor Alexander Graham Bell as representative of all kinds of TV spokesperson, from the obvious (electronic equipment) to the somewhat less so (chewing gum--well, maybe it's linked to speech, which goes into the phone?) to the obscure (Legos--Bell as a child making a phone out of the product--I'm really in the weeds now). Along the way, she points out that intellectual property law can be a concern if one uses images of dead figures in one's advertising. Public figures may also have post-mortem rights of publicity, depending on the jurisdiction.

For Open Culture.