Chilling Effects

The AP story about Eyes on the Screen includes this interesting chunk:

In 1992, the filmmaker received a letter from attorneys for Martin Luther King Jr.’s estate, charging he had used films of King without the family’s authorization.

Hampton said he offered the Kings $100,000 for the material. But the family turned down his offer, saying they wanted more money and control over how the material was used.

Hampton’s production company eventually sued King’s estate in U.S. District Court, saying the King family’s threats and demands for exorbitant payments “had a chilling effect on Blackside’s right of free speech.” The case was settled out of court and the King family received less than $100,000, Hampton said at the time.