Terri Welles
Encyclopedia
Terri Welles is an American actress and adult model
.
Welles was born in Santa Monica, California
. She first appeared on the cover of the May 1980 issue of Playboy
, wearing a flight attendant
costume to illustrate a pictorial on stewardesses (Welles was a United Airlines
stewardess at the time). She subsequently appeared as a centerfold
in the December 1980 issue and was named Playmate of the Year for 1981. Her original pictorial was photographed by Richard Fegley
.
Welles married NHL ice hockey
player Charlie Simmer
in 1981. The couple divorced in 1986. Welles has a daughter.
In 1997, Welles started an online business selling pictures of herself. On her Web site, she described herself as a former Playboy model and Playmate of the Year. Playboy Enterprises, which was starting up its own online business at this time, sued Welles in 1998, claiming that it had the exclusive right to use of its trademark
terms "Playboy" and "Playmate of the Year" for commercial purposes. The outcome of the suit, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Welles
, was that virtually all of Welles' uses of the terms were considered nominative use
s, and did not infringe.
Welles closed down her Web site on October 31, 2006 with the announcement that it had "been a fun ride".
Fetish model
A fetish model is a model who models fetish clothing or devices that augment his or her body in a fetish manner or in fetishistic situations, though he or she may not work exclusively in that form of modeling....
.
Welles was born in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. She first appeared on the cover of the May 1980 issue of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, wearing a flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
costume to illustrate a pictorial on stewardesses (Welles was a United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
stewardess at the time). She subsequently appeared as a centerfold
Centerfold
The centerfold of a magazine refers to a gatefolded spread, usually a portrait such as a pin-up or a nude, inserted in the middle of the publication, or to the model featured in the portrait...
in the December 1980 issue and was named Playmate of the Year for 1981. Her original pictorial was photographed by Richard Fegley
Richard Fegley
Leon Richard Fegley was a professional photographer who worked for Playboy magazine for 30 years.Fegley started taking photos during a stint in the United States Air Force, and eventually attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. In 1971 he joined Playboy as a freelance...
.
Welles married NHL ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player Charlie Simmer
Charlie Simmer
Charles Robert Simmer is a retired ice hockey forward, most notably for the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League, who was notable for his scoring and power play prowess.-Playing career:...
in 1981. The couple divorced in 1986. Welles has a daughter.
In 1997, Welles started an online business selling pictures of herself. On her Web site, she described herself as a former Playboy model and Playmate of the Year. Playboy Enterprises, which was starting up its own online business at this time, sued Welles in 1998, claiming that it had the exclusive right to use of its trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
terms "Playboy" and "Playmate of the Year" for commercial purposes. The outcome of the suit, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Welles
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Welles
-Facts:Former 1981 Playboy Playmate of the Year Terri Welles maintained a website which identified her as a former PMOY and displayed the registered trademarked terms Playboy, Playmate of the Year, and Playmate of the Month and the unregistered trademark "PMOY" in metatags, wallpaper, banner ads,...
, was that virtually all of Welles' uses of the terms were considered nominative use
Nominative use
Nominative use, also "nominative fair use", is a legal doctrine that provides an affirmative defense to trademark infringement as enunciated by the United States Ninth Circuit, by which a person may use the trademark of another as a reference to describe the other product, or to compare it to their...
s, and did not infringe.
Welles closed down her Web site on October 31, 2006 with the announcement that it had "been a fun ride".