Rosa Parks sues Outkast

Dan

Senior Member
Aug 28, 2003
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Aiken, SC
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The Supreme Court refused Monday to intervene in a lawsuit over the hit song "Rosa Parks" by the Grammy-winning musical group OutKast.

The action, taken without comment from the justices, means the 90-year-old civil rights figure can go ahead with her lawsuit against the band.

The 1998 song is about the entertainment industry and its lyrics do not refer to Parks by name. The chorus of the song goes, "Ah-ha, hush that fuss. Everybody move to the back of the bus."

Parks claimed that OutKast violated her publicity and trademark rights and defamed her. She lost her first round in federal court, but a three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, reinstated part of the lawsuit earlier this year.

The case will now return to a lower federal court judge.

Parks wants all references to her removed from future versions of the record.

OutKast has argued that the song is neither false advertising nor a violation of Parks' publicity rights and is protected by the First Amendment.

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OK, first off, the song came out like four years ago, I was listening to it at high school parties.

Second, the song has nothing to do with her, really. They're using the move to the back of the bus thing as a metaphor for how they're trying to distance themselves from the majority of BS that's passing for rap these days.

I think she'll lose. But, it would've been nice of them to ask her before using her name, I guess.

On a sidenote, Outkast is among the very few good rap acts out there now, in my opinion. Their stuff is more about love and deep stuff like that, rather than how many cars you have, or how big your necklace is. Their new cd, Speakerboxx/The Love Below is great, "Hey Ya" is my favorite song of the second half of the year, maybe the whole year.
 
Is the song titled "Rosa Parks" or is that just what people call it because of the bus reference? If the song is called that, they can't claim that they weren't using her name without her permission. Like it or not, if you appropriate a public persona's likeness or name for your own financial gain (as opposed to using it for news purposes) than you've infringed on their rights.

If the song is only titled that way colloquially than she probably won't win. I doubt highly that "move to the back of the bus" is trademarked to her.
 
Yeah, the song's actually called "Rosa Parks" but the only reference to her at all in the song is that one line.
 
Originally posted by Dan
Their stuff is more about love and deep stuff like that, rather than how many cars you have, or how big your necklace is. Their new cd, Speakerboxx/The Love Below is great, "Hey Ya" is my favorite song of the second half of the year, maybe the whole year.

Is the lyrics to this song "love" or "deep stuff"?

A nigga ready from the get go(blowe, blowe, blowe)
Y'all hear my shit go, it's Andre. Can yo punk ass come out to play?
Stay in your little hole, then coward duck your head
You don't know who you be fuckin with youse better off...dead
Is what I say, best run the other way
In case of physical breakdown...y'all can break now
My kitchen full of heat, if you can't take the temp
Make yourself exempt
Pussy footin around don't be gettin y'all nowhere but stuck
Nowhere to duck, pull his file, niggaz die
By gettin blasted, how drastic
They got the nerve to ask me why I do the things I do
I got the nerve to serve you up just like a waiter do, but naw (naw, naw)
I take that back, that's my problem
Turnin and walkin away, this ain't gon work when they be robbin
As long as Big Boi's still livin, never standin by my lonesome
Step up nigga, if you want some
 
You didn't get this song at all, there's some deeper stuff going on there!!!:D

OK, allow me to rephrase... The majority of their newer stuff isn't just about proving what a badass you are, or how rich you are. Also, they write all their own music, and their rhyme style is actually really unique. They have a very odd, very original take on rap music (see "Bombs Over Baghdad", which couples a Hendrix-esque guitar solo with a full choir), and in fact their latest CD has a lot more jazz, soul, and rock than straight-ahead rap on it.
 

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