From a press release I got yesterday:
STEVEN TYLER has gone from breaking the law, to making the law with his new proposed Senate bill.
Hawaii Senate Bill 465, also known as the Steven Tyler Act, would create a civil cause of action for “constructive invasion of privacy” in the state of Hawaii. Tyler initiated–and is a proponent and vocal supporter of–the bill and will appear with fellow Hawaii resident Mick Fleetwood on Friday, February 8 as the bill is presented in a Senate hearing at the State Capitol in Honolulu, Hawaii. At this writing, the bill is being endorsed by 2/3 of the Senate.
The proposed bill (SB465) was modeled after the California Civil Code Section 1708.8, which was adopted by the California state legislature in 1998. SB465 would add a cause of action for constructive invasion of privacy in addition to the current cause of action for physical invasion of privacy in Hawaii. In the simplest terms, the proposed bill would provide a legal remedy for celebrities photographed while they are engaged in “personal or familial activity” and have a reasonable expectation of privacy. This new law would go beyond the more traditional invasion of privacy, which generally requires a physical trespass, by imposing liability on people who use zoom telephonic lenses or other high tech audio devices to capture images or audio of public figures as they are in their homes, or other private places, and then turn around and sell those images or audio files.
I guess if you get attacked by paparazzi enough times, you have to try something! My feeling is that there is no solution to photographing people in public, but at least in Hawaii pretty soon, it will be against the law to photograph someone on private property.
“The paradise of Hawaii is a magnet for celebrities who just want a peaceful vacation,” TYLER says. “As a person in the public eye, I know the paparazzi are there and we have to accept that. But when they intrude into our private space, disregard our safety and the safety of others, that crosses a serious line that shouldn’t be ignored.”
One more step! Lets see what happens. My guess is that if Justin Bieber comes to Hawaii, all bets are off and he will be photographed everywhere.