Rosa Parks settles suit over OutKast CD
(CNN) -- Rosa Parks, who helped trigger the civil rights movement in the 1950s, and rap duo OutKast have settled a lawsuit over the use of her name on a CD released in 1998, her guardian Dennis Archer said Thursday.
Under the settlement, OutKast and co-defendants SONY BMG Music Entertainment, Arista Records LLC and LaFace Records will help develop educational programs to "enlighten today's youth about the significant role Rosa Parks played in making America a better place for all races," according to a written statement.
The groups will work with the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute to promote Parks' legacy.
The settlement in the case that has dragged on for years implies no fault by the defendants, said Archer, former Detroit mayor and Michigan Supreme Court justice.
The 1999 lawsuit alleged defamation and trademark infringement because the Grammy-winning group OutKast used Parks' name without her permission in the song title "Rosa Parks." The chorus is: "Ah-ha, hush that fuss. Everybody move to the back of the bus."
Parks, now 92, made history in December 1955 when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus. Her arrest triggered a 381-day boycott of the bus system by blacks and led to court rulings desegregating public transportation nationwide.
OutKast contended the song is neither false advertising nor a violation of Parks' publicity rights and is protected by the First Amendment.
According to court records, Parks has suffered from dementia since 2002.
