King family sues USA Today over historic ‘I have a dream’ address – unauthorized use of Martin Luther King, Jr. speech – Brief Article
USA Today recently paid the family of Martin Luther King, Jr. $10,000 in attorney’s fees and court costs, as well as a $1,700 licensing fee for using Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech without their permission.
The King family sued the paper after it ran the full text of King’s historic address last August. Because the family holds the copyright to the inspirational speech given by Dr. King in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, family members fully expect to be paid when the text is used for commercial purposes, said Atlanta attorney Joe Beck, who handled the case for the King estate.
“This is his legacy to his heirs,” Beck has been quoted as saying. “Because we admire and look up to him doesn’t mean we have a right to use his property for free.”
After USA Today lawyers reviewed the case, the paper thought it best to settle out of court, it reported.
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