Get Permission When Using Martin Luther King Jr’s Likeness

The family of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. don’t take too kindly to folks using MLK’s likeness for their own gain. If you printed t-shirts, posters, or other merchandise of the civil rights leader along with PE Barack Obama you need to cease-and-desist and get permission. If not, they will come looking for you.

But while Obama’s election as the first black president may be the fulfillment of King’s dream and could yield a big windfall for his estate, policing his image and actually collecting any fees could prove to be a legal nightmare because of the great proliferation of unauthorized King-Obama paraphernalia, much of it sold by street vendors.

King’s writings, likeness and voice are considered intellectual property, and almost any use — from graduate thesis papers to TV documentaries — are subject to approval by his estate, now administered by his surviving children, Martin Luther King III , Dexter King and the Rev. Bernice King . (Because Obama is an elected official , his words and image are in the public domain and can be used without permission.) Source

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