Faulkner estate sues over quotes in Midnight In Paris

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) - William Faulkner wrote that the past is never dead. His heirs say their copyright to that phrase is very much alive.

The author's literary estate is suing Sony Pictures Classics for using a paraphrase of the line in Woody Allen's 2011 film, Midnight In Paris.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Mississippi, says Sony infringed on the copyright when actor Owen Wilson slightly misquoted the line from Faulkner's Requiem For A Nun.

He said, "The past is not dead! Actually, it's not even past." Sony says the quote is "fair use," a legal term meaning the user doesn't have to license or pay for it.