Look at these facts and figures, Elvis earned $40m (�22.3m) last year, Marilyn Monroe earned $7m from advertising in 1992. That's amazing, and just to make sure we're all together on this, they are both dead.

Another potential dead earner is Marlon Brando, whose image is extremely well known throughout the world, and a potential target for advertising companies, but Brando was a clever man. Before he died he set up a trust to look after the Brando image for his children, and they now inherit the task of managing that trust.

Here are the list of current Brando patents and trademarks from the article in The Guardian reporting on the new applications for patents made by the estate:

Metal statues and figurines not of precious metal; metal key chains; licence plates and frames; bottle openers; non-luminous and non-mechanical metal signs tins and cans sold empty; a series of audio/video recordings; pre-recorded performances and acting lessons; juke boxes; sunglasses; refrigerator magnets; mouse pads; telephone cards; magnetically encoded credit cards and debit cards; musical instruments; drums; percussion instruments and accessories; music boxes; posters; post cards; address books; holiday cards; greeting cards; art prints; art reproductions; paper gift bags; writing instruments; loose leaf binders; bookends; non-fiction and reference books about Marlon Brando; children's activity books; gift wrapping paper; bumper stickers; calendars; non-magnetically encoded telephone calling cards; bank cheques; debit gift cards; chequebook covers; comic books; commemorative stamps not issued by the US Postal Office; confetti; decals; letter openers; paper merchandise; bags; pictures; photographic prints; picture books; playing cards; recipe books; rubber stamps; stationery stickers; temporary tattoos; trading cards; metal trading cards; chalk boards for home and/or school use; photo albums; note pads; paper doll books; colouring books; stamps and philatelic goods, namely, pre-stamped postal cards; coin books; shirts; sweatshirts; pants; shorts; jackets; caps; neckwear; belts; coats; underwear; socks; bath robes; pyjamas; kimonos; gloves; footwear; historical figure licensing services

Staggering. Fridge magnets and children's activity books, recipe and paper doll books, footwear, It's just incredible that this has to be done to protect the image of such an icon, and to think how it could all so easily be cheapened with the release of these goods;or is it already with just the idea of it?!

A famous deodorant spray company is plastering the sides of buses just now with famous actors dressed in black showing white marks showing that they used "cheap" deodorant. The whole move for me is kind of wrong. James Dean's imagine cheapened all in the name of an underarm spray.