White v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

After the Ninth Circuit panel reversed summary judgment for Samsung (defendant) in the underlying suit by Vanna White (plaintiff) over an advertisement evoking her Wheel of Fortune persona through a dressed robot, Samsung petitioned for rehearing before the full court rather than the original three-judge panel.

Whether the common-law right of publicity continues to protect a celebrity's identity from unauthorized commercial exploitation on rehearing, and whether rehearing en banc was warranted.