LOS ANGELES : Man Who Videotaped King Beating Wins Court Round
A federal judge Monday refused to dismiss a $100-million copyright lawsuit brought against several broadcasting companies by the man who videotaped the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney G. King.
The suit is based on allegations by George Holliday that KTLA, CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS violated his copyright by their alleged “unauthorized” broadcast of his video of the March 3, 1991, beating.
Holliday contends that he gave the videotape to KTLA with the understanding that it would be shown only on an evening news broadcast and not given to other stations. KTLA paid Holliday $500 for the tape, but denies making any agreement about its use.
KTLA provided the tape to CNN, which fed it to its affiliated stations, and it was soon shown on the major networks, without any compensation to Holliday, according to his lawsuit. The complaint alleges that the broadcasting companies made commercial use of the tape beyond what might be considered “fair use” for news dissemination purposes.
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