The rise of the internet and social media has made celebrity paparazzi photos a high-demand business.
Lawmakers in Hawaii are attempting to push back on that notion and are working to make their state more welcome for celebrities, writing a bill that helps celebrities to lodge civil suits against paparazzi if they take pictures of them in their private homes.
According to the LA Times, state senator J. Kalani English wrote the bill and named SB 465 the "Steven Tyler Act", in honor of the Aerosmith singer and "American Idol" judge who has a home in Hawaii and has had issues in the past with pictures being taken of home there. The report says that Tyler reached out to lawmakers, saying that paparazzi in boats offshore frequently use telephoto lenses to snap pictures inside his home.
"I have a lot of public figures who live here and this has been something that's been on the plate for a while," English said. "Steven stepped forward and said, 'I can be the face of it.' "
The bill borrows from a similar California law and allows celebrities to sue a paparazzo for taking a picture in those circumstances, even if the photo was never sold, and collect any money paid to the photographer from a sale.
"These are my constituents as well," English said. "Public figures have a right to reasonable privacy. There's a balance that we need to create."
According to the LA Times: The bill's language is up for interpretation -- it defines "invasion of privacy" as taking pictures or recordings of someone "engaging in a personal or familial activity with a reasonable expectation of privacy." English brushed aside early reports characterizing the bill as the end of all bikini-clad-celebrity-on-the-beach-in-Hawaii photos.
"The beach is open ground," English said. "This is delineating public and private spaces. The litmus test is if you have a reasonable expectation of privacy."
To decipher gray areas, English said, he looked to California's civil code and "copied it almost exactly."
"It's worked well for California," English said. "I think this helps us to fortify tourism and a film industry."
"Although their celebrity status may justify a lower expectation of privacy, the Legislature finds that sometimes the paparazzi go too far to disturb the peace and tranquility afforded celebrities who escape to Hawaii for a quiet life," English wrote in the bill."
California has had a great deal of success with the bill and it always brings the question up of how far photographers will go to get a photo. For example, the night Princess Diana died it was ruled that photographers were one of the reasons why her car got into an accident. Hawaii hopes to get more celebrities to live and play in their state if they protect them from paparazzo.
According to the LA Times, there is no date for a vote yet on the bill, but it has received 18 of the state's 25 senators signatures.
HERE is a link to the full ACT from the Hawaii legislature.
The SECTION 1 part reads:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawai'i is home to many celebrities, particularly on Maui, who are subjected to harassment from photographers and reporters seeking photographs and news stories. The privacy of these celebrities endure unwarranted invasion into their personal lives. Although their celebrity status may justify a lower expectation of privacy, the legislature finds that sometimes the paparazzi go too far to disturb the peace and tranquility afforded celebrities who escape to Hawai'i for a quiet life.
