You really have not paid too much attention to this subject, have you?
The King Family Demands $800,000 to Use MLK’s Image
The Shameless Profiting from the MLK Memorial
Harry Belafonte is Suing the Family of Dr. Martin Luther King
Mercedes tries to use Martin Luther King's image to drive car sales:
The King family's efforts to commercialize King's legacy have drawn periodic criticism, beginning in 1997 when the family struck a multimillion-dollar deal with Time Warner to produce recordings of his speeches and books based on his writings. The family's supporters said the arrangement would spread King's message and help support the nonprofit King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta.
King's heirs licensed the footage to Mercedes for an undisclosed fee through their for-profit company, Intellectual Properties Management of Atlanta. IPM's representatives didn't respond to requests for comment
Good grief. I stand corrected. tsk