QUICK TAKES - March 18, 2009

One of the world’s leading music publishers struck a deal Tuesday with the estate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and will work to bring the civil rights leader’s words to a wider audience by encouraging their use in songs.

EMI Music Publishing will also use its copyright expertise to police the use of King’s name, image, likeness and recorded voice in recordings and music and in online and digital media.

EMI represents songwriters and licensing for media as diverse as CDs and commercials, but this is the first time it has taken on the licensing of a non-music-based intellectual property catalog. EMI declined to say how much the deal is worth.