Brutally Murdered U.S. Student's Face Used in Ads in India

Bangalore: Eve Carson, an ex-University of North Carolina (UNC) student body president and Morehead-Cain Scholar, was abducted, robbed and shot to death in 2008. Now to the horror of her family, Carson’s face adorns billboards in India, advertising overseas study opportunities.

News Observer reported that a company called Jubeerich Consultancy has used Carson’s headshot on billboards along India’s busy National Highway 49, near the mountain town of Munnar, without permission.

Jubeerich Consultancy promotes itself as a “leading and reputed firm in the world offering overseas study opportunities and placement services,” and Carson’s image is one among the many young, blond faces that appear as part of the firm’s advertising campaign in the country.

The Huffington Post noted “Beyond ethical concerns, the use of Carson’s photograph raises legal issues: the image in question is her official student body president portrait, meaning UNC owns the copyright.”

Deborah Gerhardt, law professor at the University of North Carolina hoped that people in India would know the offensive nature of the advertising campaign for U.S. citizens and ask Jubeerich to stop using Carson’s pictures.