Writing about others without permission

[Mark]

After writing his novel based on the life stories of the siblings, Leon Posen says "it’s my book," while Albie asks, "how did he end up with my life?" What are the ethical and legal issues of the situation? Should there be regulations for writing about others without their consent? Question provided by the publisher.

[Mark]

Generally, in the movie business, you cannot reveal previously unknown facts about a real person who is not in the public eye without their permission. In Leon's case, he can rationalize that he did not use the names of Fanny's family members in the novel. There may have been no harm in Leon writing a book about Fanny's family, but they were not given the chance to decide for themselves, either collectively or individually, whether they wanted to be involved or not.

In the age of social media selling your personal information to anyone who will buy it, I suppose it's quaint, but I think he should have asked first.