The Surprising Reason You Never Hear The Whole Speech
One of the most famous speeches in American history, is the 17 minute speech of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have A Dream."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made the speech on August 28th of 1963 at a march on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial.
Most people today, have no idea that the speech was more than just those famous four words, "I Have A Dream." Why do we never hear the full speech?
The reason we never hear the full speech is because it is under copyright protection, owned by the King family. So anyone that uses the full speech is supposed to ask before using it, and could suffer incredible fines if they don't follow protocol. Especially media outlets.
According to The Washington Post, Historians feel that by not giving free public access to the speech, citizens are missing out on the very important message, that cannot be replicated, as the delivery from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was so poignant.
The King Center sells DVD copies of the speech for $20 each...so it's easy to get your hands on it for a minimal fee if you are wanting it for yourself. Other than that, you will not be able to see the speech for free until the year 2038 under copyright law.
How did this happen? King himself filed for copyright of his speech just a month after giving it, after finding out that two companies had started selling unauthorized copies of the speech; and he sued them. Since then, his family has been receiving income because of the copyright protection.
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