New Elvis Owner May Mean 'Hard Knocks' for El Vez, Blelvis and Others Who Would be King

Can a person ban others from impersonating a product they own? Probably not, right? Copying something, sure. Impersonating it, no.

Robert Sillerman, who owns a majority stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises and who also owns American Idol -- and has thus made untold millions selling the performances of people who impersonate singers -- bizarrely seems to see it differently.

Of Elvis impersonators, he said ominously: "If we were going to do a show that was based on Elvis impersonators, then obviously it wouldn't make sense to have unauthorised Elvis impersonators."

I'm all for his right to own a good chunk of Elvis, and to own his own show of impersonators. But how can he claim to own a concept that was created by hundreds of other people, namely Elvis impersonators, and not The King himself? No can do.

This may just be a ploy to get publicity, or harness some licensing fees, or launch an American Idol promo -- picture some sort of tryout for Sillerman's Vegas show in which dozens of Elvis impersonators compete against each other on network television in an elimination tournament, the winner of which will be made a Vegas star. Call it "Vegas Idol," "American Elvis," "American King" or whatever you'd like.

Regardless, it'll go to court at some point. No doubt. And so I'm calling "shotgun" right now, thus having reserved a seat up front in the courtroom where Sillerman will undountedly duke it out with legions of Elvis impersonators. He's wrong, but it should be fun.