King Family Sues CBS For Using `I Have A Dream' Speech Film

Jet, May 31, 1999

Martin Luther King, Jr. would not have wanted his I Have A Dream speech used for commercial purposes without his approval, a King family lawyer recently told a federal appeals court.

The family, led by his widow, Coretta Scott King, and son, Dexter King, is asking the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule that the famous speech is private property and that CBS News should have to pay for infringing on King's copyright by including footage from the speech in a documentary, "The 20th Century With Mike Wallace."

A federal district judge ruled last year that the speech belongs to the public and CBS did not violate copyright law. The King family appealed to the 11th Circuit.

According to the King estate, King registered the speech with the U.S. Copyright Office.

CBS said the estate has no right to claim ownership of the footage, which was taken by CBS.