Even though OutKast is celebrating the success of their current album one lawsuit seems to be following the group longer than they planned. The legendary Rosa Parks has been given clearance by the US Supreme Court to continue with her lawsuit against Outkast (Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton), LaFace Records, Arista Records, BMG Entertainment and a record producer for the use of her name as a title.
Rosa Parks’s lawsuit stems against the song “Rosa Parks’ from the 1998 “Aquemini” album that sold over two million copies. Though the song says nothing about Rosa Parks, she alleges the use of her name was false advertisement and infringed on her right to publicity. In the lawsuit she also contends it is a defamation of character and interfered with her business relationship. Attorneys for OutKast and the rest of the defendants have appealed the case to the Supreme Court because they felt the appeals court allowed public figures to use trademark as a right to censor free speech. The appeal was rejected without any comment.
