Fox and Muhammad Ali estate settle fight over image use
Fox Broadcasting and Muhammad Ali Enterprises have settled a dispute concerning the use of Ali’s image.
A notification of settlement was filed at the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Oakland Division, on Monday, July 16.
The case centred around the use of Ali’s persona during a promotional video broadcast before the 2017 Super Bowl.
In October 2017, Ali’s estate sued Fox, accusing it of infringing the late boxer’s image rights by using his name, image and likeness in the three-minute video.
The claim stated that the video used Ali to “define greatness” and to compare him to National Football League players.
Muhammad Ali Enterprises initially filed the claim at the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, before it was moved to California.
In January 2018, Fox threw a counterpunch and asked the court to reject the claim.
According to Fox, the video was in accordance with the First Amendment as a matter of public interest because it paid tribute to the life and legacy of Ali by highlighting his achievements.
On the same day that it asked the court to reject the claim in January 2018, Fox sought judgment on the proceedings.
The broadcasting company claimed that Ali’s estate contends it had the right to control everything that Fox could say or show about Ali.
According to Fox, if Muhammad Ali Enterprises’ view of the law was correct, the same could be applied to other individuals whose identities were shown to depict historical people presented in the video
In addition, Fox said that the law does not permit public figures to censor or control what broadcasters can say about them to cover a significant event.
The district court announced yesterday, July 17, that the action and all claims were dismissed with prejudice.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.
Today's top stories
Motorola secures victory over Hytera in Germany
