Las Vegas chapels of love that use Elvis Presley鈥檚 likeness could find themselves becoming Heartbreak Hotels.
The licensing company that controls the name and image of 鈥淭he King鈥� is ordering Sin City chapel operators to stop using Elvis in themed ceremonies, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Monday. Authentic Brands Group sent cease-and-desist letters in early May to multiple chapels, which are expected to be compliant by now.
With Elvis so closely tied to Vegas鈥� wedding industry, some say the move could decimate their businesses.
鈥淲e are a family-run business, and now we鈥檙e hanging with the big dogs,鈥� said Kayla Collins, who operates LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and the Little Chapel of Hearts with her husband. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our bread and butter. I don鈥檛 get it. We were just hitting our stride again through COVID, then this happens.鈥�
Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who led a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said the order for chapels to stop using Elvis couldn鈥檛 have come at a worse time for the sector.
The city鈥檚 wedding industry generates $2 billion a year, and officials say Elvis-themed weddings represent a significant number of the ceremonies performed.
鈥淚t might destroy a portion of our wedding industry. A number of people might lose their livelihood,鈥� Goya said.
One chapel last weekend had its Elvis impersonator change instead into a leather jacket, jeans and a fedora for a 鈥渞ock 鈥榥鈥� roll鈥� themed ceremony, the Review-Journal reported.
Graceland Wedding Chapel, which performs 6,400 Elvis-themed weddings per year, has not been served a warning yet, according to manager Rod Musum.
In the cease-and-desist letter, the company said it will halt unauthorized use of 鈥淧resley鈥檚 name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley鈥檚 persona in advertisements, merchandise and otherwise.鈥� The letter also said 鈥淓lvis,鈥� 鈥淓lvis Presley,鈥� 鈥渁nd 鈥淭he King of Rock and Roll鈥� are protected trademarks.
In a statement Wednesday, Authentic Brands Group said it has strong relationships with Elvis tribute artists and fan festivals. There is 鈥渘o intention to shut down chapels that offer Elvis packages in Las Vegas.鈥�
鈥淲e are seeking to partner with each of these small businesses to ensure that their use of Elvis鈥� name, image and likeness are officially licensed and authorized by the estate, so they can continue their operations,鈥� Authentic Brands Group said. 鈥淓lvis is embedded into the fabric of Las Vegas history.鈥�
The licensing company oversees the estates of big names like movie star Marilyn Monroe and boxer Muhammad Ali and 50 consumer brands.
The order should not translate into legal action against Elvis-themed stage shows in Las Vegas such as 鈥淎ll Shook Up鈥� because impersonating someone for live performances such as shows is considered an exception under Nevada鈥檚 right of publicity law, according to Mark Tratos, a local attorney who helped write the statute.
鈥淎n Elvis show is a performer essentially entertaining others by re-creating that person onstage,鈥� Tratos said.
Presley became indelibly linked to Sin City in the 鈥�60s and 鈥�70s. His 1964 movie, 鈥淰iva Las Vegas,鈥� yielded a title track that became the city鈥檚 unofficial theme. In July 1969, Presley famously redefined the Vegas residency with his live stage comeback at the Las Vegas International Hotel. What started as a four-week gig turned into more than 600 shows and lasted until December 1976.
Presley himself got married in Las Vegas in 1967 to wife Priscilla, cementing his association with Vegas weddings.
Kent Ripley, whose business is called Elvis Weddings, said he has never run into this issue in 25 years of performing as Elvis.
鈥淭hey want to protect the Elvis brand. But what are they protecting by taking Elvis away from the public?鈥� Ripley asked.
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