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Protecting The Brand Legacy Of A Legend

  • Time, Friday, October 30, 2009 11:30 AM
Dozen of streets, squares and schools bear Nelson Mandela's name. He is the subject of countless books and movies. Now there's a $24 burger with fries named after him that's sold in a joint named Café Mandela in Copenhagen.



Advisors have begun to fight back to protect the name and legacy of the 90-year-old South African icon, Alex Perry reports. The Nelson Mandela Foundation has agreed on a code of conduct banning the commercialization of his name or image by his four official charities and has asked 44 charities that he supports to sign on. Other causes must get the foundation's consent before using his name.



But Perry points out that the legacy-protecting business is often "subjective and a matter of taste." Clint Eastwood's soon-to-be-released "Invictus," starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as a rugby player, moved forward with the foundation's blessing. Maybe it's because "it portrays Mandela in a positive light," he writes. "Or maybe Madiba just likes Dirty Harry."

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