MLK Jr. Estate Threatening To Sue Vendors For Selling Products With Obama And King
from the get-over-it dept
The family of Martin Luther King Jr. has unfortunately done plenty to tarnish the great man's legacy over the last few decades, specifically in being overly aggressive claiming "ownership" of anything having to do with King, and demanding money from various entities that show King's speeches. A decade ago they were involved in a big legal fight with CBS for showing King's I Have A Dream speech. Who knew that dream was locked up thanks to intellectual property laws?Now the family is apparently threatening to sue anyone selling any kind of merchandise that includes images of King and President-Elect Obama, claiming that if others are making money off of King's image, King's family should get a cut: "We do feel that if somebody's out there making a dollar, we should make a dime." So, now, apparently that dream is to keep making money off a speech that was delivered decades ago.
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Filed Under: intellectual property, likeness, martin luther king jr., privacy rights, publicity rights, speeches
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Poor MLK
And to poster #3, they are not entitled to make any money at all off of King's image. They are however attemping to make some. And his estate does not own every picture taken of him. As poster #1 was making the point, other people have taken pictures of him in public places. They have Zero rights to those pictures.
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Since when...
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It's not copyright, it's called Right of Publicity. Sleezy tabloids can print pictures of Lindsey Lohan taken in a public place, if they have the permission of the photographer (who owns the copyright on the photograph). But they can't print an advertisement for vodka featuring that same photograph without Lohan's consent. T-shirts and other merchandise would fall under the same rules.
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Joseph M. Beck, a lawyer who represents the King estate, said courts have repeatedly defended the right of public figures to control the commercial use of their copyrighted words and image.
As far as I am concerned, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. should feel free to control the appearance of his image on unsanctioned T-shirts. What's that you say? He's dead? Well, let's add posthumous "Right of Publicity" to our list of bullshit laws.
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Civil Rights
While MLK had a dream of a society free of racism, his children have a dream of a phat stacks of cash!
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Sad
A dream realized is now tainted by greed. His children should be ashamed of them selves.
People are shallow and ridiculous.
Go Obama!
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What would Dr. King do?
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Re: What would Dr. King do?
Well have fun and enjoy rereading it.
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For crap's sake
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I seriously doubt that the image of MLK will be "cheapened" by commercialization. Perhaps for you, maybe. But for me, nothing will diminish his accomplishment and legacy.
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As to cheapening the image. Hardly. If anything, it puts MLK back at the forefront of American culture. People will realize that the USA has come a long way.
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King County, in Washington got renamed for MLK Jr 20 years ago.
I dislike renaming existing places in general. I thought it was interesting in relation to your post though. They completed the change just a few years ago with a likeness as the city logo. It's funny, considering how generally white the northwest is compared to the rest of the country.
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Same old story
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So Much For The Content Of Their Character...
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MLKing's family cut
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