The heirs of celebrated culinary icon, Julia Child, are fuming over the use of her image in a new ad campaign by oven makers, Thermador.

Earlier this year Thermador launched the campaign which features Child's image in which Thermador relates both her and the ovens to 'American Icons.' However, permission to use her image was not obtained from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. They immediately demanded that Thermador pull the ads and threatened to file a lawsuit. They did take the ads off it's website, but their parent company turned around and filed their own suit. They want a judge to allow them the right to use the connection between Child and the Thermador brand because she did use them on her television show and in her home. They cited that it is not an endorsement but rather an indication of the influence that the brand has had on American society and culture.

Despite the fact that Child did use these ovens, she was well known to never emphatically endorse any of the products that she used during her long career. Not even cookbooks that were written by her own friends. So, it is probably well within reason to assume that she would be none to please with this recipe that the Thermador makers have cooked up.

For professional advice on her your image and likeness can or can not be used after your passing, please consult with a professional estate litigation Attorney.

*This blog entry was not written by an Attorney and should not be constituted as professional legal advice.