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| MLK orating Aug. 28, 1963 |
What I find absurd is that the King speech — one of the most important civil rights speeches in history — is under copyright in the U.S. and will be so until the year 2038.
[LINK: MLK I Have a Dream speech]
Free at last, free at last? Nope. Pay a licensing fee to use it in its entirety. Want to listen to the whole 17 minutes, legally? Shell out $20 for the DVD. Pay out enough money, and you can use the speech in an advertisement like Alcatel did in 2001...
[LINK: Alcatel I Have a Dream ad]
The speech should be in the public domain. It belongs to all of us. Yes, I understand the desire to keep anyone from misappropriating the text. But I think a larger social good comes from people being able to access, share, and interpret the text in their own way. The content transcends.
P.S. SONY is the current copyright enforcer. SONY! [I believe the King family retains ownership of the copyright itself]
More reading
Why MLK’s 'Dream' Is So Hard to Find Online [National Journal]
‘I Have a Dream’ speech still private property [Washington Post]