The Chilling Effects of a JibJab Cease and Desist http://www.boalt.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=633
I can hardly believe this, but JibJab, the folks who fought so hard for their fair use rights when they put out their "This Land" video, sent a cease and desist letter to The Black Lantern, who had used a few seconds of the "This Land" video in making a video paired with The Legendary KO's mp3 "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People." There's a lot of layers of mash-up here, so let's take this step by step. During the 2004 election campaign, JibJab made an animated short video that spoofed both candidates, set to the old tune of (and using some of the lyrics from) Woody Guthrie's "This Land is My Land." Ludlow Music, Inc., purported rights owner in Woody Guthrie's "This Land is My Land," threatened JibJab with cease and desist letters claiming copyright infringement and seeking to halt distribution of the video. EFF took up JibJab's defense and uncovered embarrassing facts for Ludlow, such as that Guthrie himself was very accomodating towards those who wanted to sing or modify his songs, that Guthrie had lifted the tune almost completely from an old Carter Family song, and that due to a tardy renewal, the song had entered the public domain. JibJab was allowed to continue distributing its video. < MAJOR SNIP > http://www.boalt.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=633 You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.
