Bank Sues Over Gable Likeness

Wells Fargo Bank, asserting that it is trustee for publicity rights to the late actor Clark Gable, filed a licensing suit against seven corporations, including Hallmark Cards Inc. and MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., for using his likeness without its consent.

The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court, alleges the firms intend to profit by manufacturing products such as beach towels and puzzles bearing the actor’s likeness. Gable’s son, John Clark Gable, named Crocker Bank as trustee for the actor’s publicity rights in 1983, and Wells Fargo took over Crocker last year.