Famed quotation isn't dead -- and could even prove costly

[Dave Monroe]

It may be one of the most-quoted lines in American literature -- and
if you dare to quote it, you might have to pay.

In late October, Faulkner Literary Rights -- which represents Nobel
Prize-winning author William Faulkner's estate -- sued representatives
of Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" for misquoting the famous line,
"The past is never dead. It's not even past."

In the film, about a writer who travels back in time to 1920s Paris,
Owen Wilson's character lightly rephrases the line as "The past is not
dead. Actually, it's not even past."

For the film's sin, Faulkner's estate is suing for copyright
infringement and asking for "damages, disgorgement of profits, costs
and attorney fees," according to the suit.

[...]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/06/showbiz/movies/faulkner-midnight-paris-allen-lawsuit/index.html