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EMI copyright deal to protect Martin Luther King speeches
Kiran Randhawa18.03.09
THE speeches of Martin Luther King are to be protected under a copyright deal with a British record company.
Managers of the civil rights leader's estate have asked EMI to track and charge when his words appear on websites such as YouTube. They have also asked the company to promote and sell the speeches, including his "I have a dream" address of 1963, more effectively on iTunes.
Dr King copyrighted several of his speeches before his death and his widow, Coretta, continued the process after his assassination in Memphis in 1968.
But since the election of President Obama, his estate is unhappy that a wave of unlicensed material and merchandise has been produced. Managers fear that if the copyright is not protected, it will be lost. Tens of millions of dollars are raised every year through the use of copyrighted material. The profits are used to fund the non-profit King Centre in Atlanta, which was established to educate the world about King's philosophies.
Extracts of "I have a dream" have been included in several songs, including Madagascar by rock band Guns '*' Roses. The speech can also be bought as a mobile phone ringtone.
Reader views (3)
Don't forget the fact that all material is automatically copyright protected as soon as it is fixed in some format. All Martin Luther King Jr.'s works are protected for his life + 70 years after his death. His family has a right to protect the copyright in his works until such time as the works move into the public domain. Permission must be requested to use the material.
- Carolin, Toronto, Canada
Come on, Marianne. His speeches are among the finest writing of the twentieth century. He has as much entitlement to copyright for them as JK Rowling or Dan Brown for their efforts.
- Bloke, London
"Protect speeches"? Don't be daft, this is just a way for EMI to make some cash ........
- Marianne, SW France
