SB Licensing Represents Estates of Charlie Chaplin, Richard Bernstein and Thomas Edison

Rights clearance and licensing agency, SB Licensing, has added to its star-studded roster with the estates of Charlie Chaplin, Richard Bernstein and Thomas Edison. The three join the estates of Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, and Elvis Presley, as well as the legendary photographic archive, Iconic Images.

Spearheaded by IP expert Sonia Bouadma (formerly vice president, rights services at BENlabs), SB Licensing keeps legacies alive by pairing cultural icons with authentic commercial collaborations. It is also uniquely positioned as a single clearance and licensing solution for projects that entail even multiple rights clearances: it can clear and license celebrities and icons, film clips, characters, or thematic rights, literary and artistic copyrights, and trademarks, landmarks, and props.

Sonia Bouadma has worked with brands including Coca-Cola on the clearing of Andy Warhol’s famous artwork in its award-winning ‘Masterpiece’ campaign as well as Chanel and Cartier on their long-standing partnerships with Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali. It’s clear that icons continue to be cherished by brands: Muhammad Ali was recently selected to feature in the first brand campaign by LUCID called ‘Compromise Nothing’.

In its latest set of developments, SB Licensing has been charged with representing the estates of Charlie Chaplin, Richard Bernstein and Thomas Edison.

Charlie Chaplin™ / © Bubbles Incorporated SA 2025. Represented by SB Licensing

One of the most beloved and recognisable cinema legends of all time, Chaplin was an actor, screenwriter, director, and musical composer best known for his unique slapstick humour, especially in his role as the Little Tramp. The first actor to appear on the cover of Time Magazine, Chaplin was a smart businessman who kept copyrights on his own movies, which include ‘The Kid’, ‘The Gold Rush’, ‘Modern Times’ and ‘The Great Dictator’ to name a few. His humanity was also central to his character, being the mind behind quotations like “I am a citizen of the world”; “Nothing is permanent in this wicked world – not even our troubles”; “Making fun is serious business”; and “I am an individual and a believer in liberty.”

Chaplin’s legacy remains as strong as ever. Artists and brands continue to draw inspiration from his image and ideas. French street artist Mr. Brainwash famously incorporated the Little Tramp character into a series of artworks celebrating pop culture, optimism, and resilience. Meanwhile, Chaplin’s powerful final speech from ‘The Great Dictator’, still under copyright, is frequently revisited for its enduring relevance. It has recently been featured in campaigns highlighting the vital role of emotion and our shared humanity.

© The Estate of Richard Bernstein. Represented by SB Licensing

While Richard Bernstein is most widely remembered today as the creator of Andy Warhol’s distinctive Interview Magazine covers, he was one of Pop Art's pioneers and architects. Richard’s technicolour work captured the glamour, extravagance, and innovation of the Pop art era, blurring the lines between commercial and fine art. While working at Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine from 1972 until 1989, he developed an unmistakable style instantly recognisable as the ‘Bernstein Look,’ creating over 189 portraits during that time.

Richard’s portraits helped to amplify the celebrity culture that characterised this dynamic period in New York’s history. He pioneered digitally created artwork in the 1980s, beginning with his portrait of David Bowie (1983), and continued throughout the rest of his career. After leaving Interview Magazine at the end of 1989, he continued this pioneering work and remained active as an art director in the fashion and music industries. Today, Richard’s artworks are favoured by brands such as Stubbs & Wootton, COACH, and Loewe.

Personality rights of THOMAS EDISON are used with permission of the Charles Edison Fund. Represented by SB Licensing

Thomas Edison is the inventor behind scores of creations that profoundly affected the 21st century. Holding no less than 1,093 patents during his lifetime, he represents tireless innovation: in 1877, Thomas invented both the phonograph (a device that could record and reproduce sound) and the carbon button transmitter, with the rights to the latter sold and used in telephones worldwide for 100 years; in 1880, he was granted the patent for the first commercially viable light bulb; and in 1891, he applied for a patent on the motion picture camera.

Thomas was an astute businessman who founded the Edison General Electric Company, which later became part of General Electric (GE). His entrepreneurial spirit and his determination are captured in quotations such as "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work,” and “Many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up”. He has been favoured by brands such as Chevy Volt, Mazda, Harvoni, Intel, Cree Lighting and Chick-Fil-A.

Founder and director, Sonia Bouadma, comments, “We are proud to have been trusted by such iconic estates and are excited about our company’s expansion. We are looking forward to working with brands in categories such as FMCG, fashion, jewellery, automotive, and technologies that have unique and authentic connections with these icons.”

Represented by SB Licensing © ABG EPE IP LLC © The Estate of Marilyn Monroe LLC / Milton H. Greene © 2025 Joshua Greene © Muhammad Ali Enterprises, LLC © Iconic Images / Michael Brennan 2025

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