Permissions

During her lifetime, Julia felt strongly about not using her name in connection with commercial activities. She made exceptions for the marketing and promotion of her cookbooks, television programs, and related products because she believed in their educational nature. In limited instances, she allowed select charitable organizations with which she either was personally involved or whose mission she supported to use her name and/or likeness. It is the intent of the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts (the Foundation) to remain consistent with Julia’s decisions surrounding the use of her celebrity.

Honoring Julia

In accordance with the Foundation’s responsibilities, the Trustees have established the following guidelines for those wishing to organize events in honor of Julia and/or her legacy. The Foundation encourages these events, so long as they are exclusively celebratory, do not trade on Julia’s legacy for purposes of profit or commercial gain and are in support of a good cause.

What the Foundation restricts and protects

Because the Foundation holds rights to the use of Julia’s name and likeness and has the responsibility to manage and protect these rights, the Foundation can and will protect Julia’s name and likeness from any unauthorized and/or inappropriate use

The Foundation holds the rights to

  • Julia’s copyright and intellectual property rights, including the copyright to unpublished materials written by Julia.
  • The rights to use Julia’s name and likeness (often referred to as publicity or personality rights).

Permission from the Foundation is required to

  • Reprint and/or publish in any medium any material for which Julia held the copyright.
  • Reprint and/or publish any photographs taken by Paul Child, located at the Schlesinger Library or elsewhere, that have been previously published in books written by Julia. (To inquire about the use of any of these photographs, please contact Director of Outreach Lauren Salkeld.)
    • Please keep in mind that the Foundation has a small staff and receives a significant number of requests. If you are requesting permission for a large amount of material, please contact the Foundation at the beginning of your project and allow at least sixty (60) days for your request to be evaluated. We process permissions requests only once all materials are finalized.
  • Use Julia’s name and/or likeness in the promotion or sale of any kinds of goods or services, including those in connection with charitable activities. With rare exceptions, the Foundation does not grant permission for the use of Julia’s name and/or likeness for commercial activities. Merchandise marketed for sale which you may have seen incorporating Julia’s name, likeness, and/or attributed quotes, was not authorized by the Foundation and was created without permission.The Foundation’s definition of commercial activities extends to any in which the public is asked to pay money, even if the money ultimately benefits a nonprofit or charitable organization. (To seek permission to use Julia’s name and/or image, please contact Director of Outreach Lauren Salkeld.)

Permission from other entities or persons is required to

  • Reprint and/or publish in any medium content from Julia’s books, television programs, DVDs or digital content. Permission must be sought from the relevant publisher or producer, such as Alfred A. Knopf, WGBH, or A La Carte Productions.
  • Reprint and/or publish in any medium any photographs taken by Paul Child located in the archives of the Schlesinger Library or elsewhere that have not been previously published in books written by Julia Child
  • Merchandise marketed for sale which you may have seen incorporating Julia’s name, likeness, and/or attributed quotes, was not authorized by the Foundation and was created without permission.The Foundation’s definition of commercial activities extends to any in which the public is asked to pay money, even if the money ultimately benefits a nonprofit or charitable organization. (To seek permission to use Julia’s name and/or image, please contact Director of Outreach Lauren Salkeld.)

Resources