What does Equal Likeness mean?
Equal Likeness refers to a contractual provision requiring that a performer’s name and likeness be given treatment equal to other specified performers in marketing materials — ensuring that one performer is not given significantly larger billing, more prominent placement, or greater visual presence in posters, trailers, and advertisements than another performer of comparable contractual standing.
Example:The actor’s contract included an equal likeness provision specifying that her image in all marketing materials would be the same size as the male lead’s — a negotiating victory ensuring her visual presence in the film’s promotional campaign reflected her co-equal status.
Example: The entertainment attorney flagged the equal likeness clause as inadequate — it specified equal size but not equal placement, potentially allowing the studio to place the client’s equally sized image in a less prominent position on the poster than competing cast members.
Did you know?
Billing and credit negotiations in Hollywood are notoriously detailed, with performers negotiating specific provisions about type size (measured as a percentage of the title’s size), placement (above or below the title), and the specific materials to which billing provisions apply. Equal likeness provisions represent one component of these comprehensive billing negotiations.
You can also find “Equal Likeness” and related terms in this category: Contracts and Agreements.
