Brazil Labor Courts Issue Rulings on Image Exploitation and Truck Driver Dismissal

A judge of the 7th Labor Court in Londrina, Paraná, ruled that an optical store could not continuously exploit a former employee’s image, voice and creativity for its Instagram marketing, even though the worker had signed an indefinite consent form. The decision emphasized that consent must be interpreted restrictively and that personal rights are not forfeited by a generic authorization.

In a separate case, the Labor Court in Curvelo, Minas Gerais, upheld a summary dismissal of a truck driver who repeatedly violated company rules and statutory rest‑period requirements while transporting eucalyptus wood between farms. The court found the driver exceeded allowed work hours, ignored mandatory overnight pauses, and that the employer’s graduated disciplinary measures justified the termination.