Since the broadcast of Eric Zemmour’s video, Tuesday, November 30, 2021, many media, personalities and rights holders have protested against the use of their images without their knowledge posted on his YouTube channel. This is particularly the case of Laeticia Hallyday. The day after the clip was released, Johnny’s widow immediately reacted. She accuses the candidate of “diversion” of the image of the deceased singer, and indicates in a statement to consider prosecution.
In this clip, Eric Zemmour evokes in particular, supporting images, “the country of Gabin and Delon, of Brigitte Bardot and Belmondo, of Johnny and Aznavour, of Brassens and of Barbara”. Johnny Hallyday appears singing, in close-up, in a black and white archive.
Using these images Eric Zemmour “attempts to misappropriate Johnny’s image for the benefit of his propaganda”, denounces the widow of the singer in a press release sent Wednesday, December 1 to AFP. Interviewed this Thursday on RTL, she regrets this use. “I was saddened, it is not possible to use the image of an artist, the image of Johnny, for political purposes in an election campaign, someone who is no longer there, it is is propaganda that would not have pleased Johnny, he wouldn’t have liked that “, she declared.
“This fault is not only reprehensible because no authorization was requested and therefore granted. It also constitutes a usurpation and the demonstration of the disrespect of its author towards the symbol that Johnny embodies, and towards all those who wear authentically Johnny in their memory “, adds Laeticia Hallyday who “instructs (his) council to consider all necessary prosecutions”.
Laeticia Hallyday also indicated on private radio to be shocked by such a method before adding : “I think I’m not the only one, it was necessary to denounce it, to respect the right to the image, and to denounce this abuse “. After the broadcast of the campaign clip of the presidential candidate, broadcast on his YouTube channel (more than 2 million views in 24 hours), many media and personalities have indeed rebelled against the use of their images.
Among them, the director Luc Besson who announced to have seized his lawyer “to initiate the necessary proceedings” after using images from his film Jeanne D’Arc, with Milla Jovovich, released in 1999. Bernard Serf, the nephew of Barbara and representative of the singer’s family, denounces a “an appropriation as revolting as it is scandalous” of the image of her grandmother who “was done without the consent of the family of the person concerned”. For his part, the writer Jacques Attali sent a formal notice to the presidential candidate to withdraw his image from his video edit within 24 hours.
Also firm position of the Gaumont cinema distributor, which did not receive “no request” on behalf of the Zemmour teams for the use of film images A monkey in winter and Jeanne D’Arc to which the company owns the rights.
The daily The Parisian, who also produces videos, said he had made a report to YouTube for their stolen clips to be removed from the platform. On the audiovisual media side, the international news television channel France 24, said “oppose on principle the use of its images and logo in any political campaign clip”. France Télévisions, Ina and Radio France jointly declared: “Eric Zemmour should pay the rights to the images taken like everyone else”.
YouTube decided “immediately” not to remove Eric Zemmour’s campaign entry clip for copyright issues: the platform told AFP “not have the possibility on the basis of European law to immediately remove this video for copyright infringement“. On the other hand, it prohibited its access to minors because of images deemed violent.