[LINK] We?re all copyright criminal s now

Craig Sanders cas at taz.net.au
Tue Nov 21 09:49:15 AEDT 2006


On Tue, Nov 21, 2006 at 08:47:20AM +1100, Jan Whitaker wrote:
> At 08:20 AM 21/11/2006, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> >If the song or play that you are performing has been written down 
> >then it is copyrighted.
> 
> Here's a strange case going on re the Ashes cricket. The Fanatics 
> have produced a booklet of their own lyrics to be sung to tunes that 
> EMI (music rights organisation I think) holds the rights to. EMI has 
> taken out an injunction against distribution of the booklets even 
> though NONE of their music is printed in the booklet, just references 
> to the title.
> 
> Straw poll of the Link Institute: who will win?

EMI. they have the money for court cases and can afford to drag it out
for as long as is necessary to bankrupt the defendants.

but the lyrics will go online and spread beyond any ability to control
them.  they'll also spread by word of mouth.

official outcome: EMI wins.  

actual outcome: EMI still wins, because even though they can't actually
stop distribution of the lyrics in any practical sense, they've
established the precedent that they have the right to do so, and can use
the ruling to bully anyone they like.

i.e. there's more to cases like these than just the immediate
circumstances.

craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>           (part time cyborg)



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