Albert Einstein's publicity rights ended in 2005, a judge ruled, defeating Hebrew University's suit over a GM ad with his face on a muscled body

Albert Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey, on 18 April 1955, domiciled in that state. Article 13 of his will left his manuscripts, copyrights, royalties "and all other literary property and rights" in trust for the lives of his secretary Helena Dukas and his stepdaughter Margot Einstein, and then to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The will did not mention a right of publicity, and in his lifetime he took no money for use of his persona. The court dated the university's acquisition of any such right to 1982. In November 2009 General Motors ran an advertisement for its 2010 GMC Terrain in one issue of People magazine. It showed Einstein's face digitally pasted onto a muscled physique, with the line "Ideas are sexy too." GM had bought the picture from Getty Images. In 2010 the university sued GM in federal court in Los Angeles, claiming it owned his right of publicity. On 16 March 2012 Judge A. Howard Matz granted GM summary judgment on the Lanham Act and California unfair competition claims, but allowed a trial on whether Einstein meant his will to pass the right to the university. The university then asked the court to rule that the right lasts indefinitely, or 70 years after death as copyright does. On 15 October 2012 Matz ruled that New Jersey's highest court would likely limit the right to 50 years after death, and that California's 70-year statute did not apply because Einstein was not domiciled there. Under the ruling, 2005 was the last year the university could sue. He wrote that Einstein's persona should be freely available "even in tasteless ads." The order states: "There will be no trial." GM was told to file a proposed judgment by 22 October 2012. Status: closed in the district court in October 2012; any later appeal or settlement is unconfirmed.