Will.i.am clarifies, "i.am a song thief"

Walmart Corporate via Creative Commons License 

When a song becomes popular you can count on other producers claiming that the hit was based on a song of theirs.  Sometimes these claims arise years after a song has been released, or they can come on the eve of an artists' album release, as was the case with The Black Eyed Peas front man, producer and solo artist Will.i.am.  Last week, reports surfaced that Will.i.am's new song "Let's Go" was taken from the song "Rebound" from House music producer Arty.  These reports escalated after Arty tweeted, "They never cleared rights through Anjunabeats, who's only one label, who ownes the rights for "Rebound".   The always eloquent Chris Brown, who appears on "Let's Go" tweeted his two sense by adding, "I don't even know who mat zo Or arty is...I don't listen to that s**t..."  Mr. i.am is busy promoting his new album #willpower and addressed the issue on KISS-FM by explaining that he originally wrote a song to "Rebound" then made a different version.  However, over the course of the year a decision was made to revert back to the original version of the song with the "Rebound" beat, which is the version that appears on the new album.  He claims that this is merely a clearance issue and that it should hopefully be worked out soon.

Media outlets have dubbed will.i.am's actions as "borrowing without permission" and an "accidentally use".  All euphemisms aside, this is a prime example of copyright infringement.  Whether it's ignorance or arrogance, Will.i.am's on-air admission surely won't help him if Arty decides taking any legal action.




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Sesame Street Reaches Milstone With 1 Billion YouTube Views

Whenever the media are discussing an astronomical number of YouTube views, they are usually referencing pop starts like Lady Gaga, Justin Beiber or that Gangnam Style guy.  Well now they should be congratulating Sesame Street, a production of the non-profit Sesame Workshop,  as they have become the first ever non-profit organization and first US children's company to reach 1 billion views on their YouTube channel.  Sesame Workshop's goal of achieving 1 billion views was a part of month-long campaign to bring their educational programming to kids throughout the world via the world's most popular video-sharing site.  They decided to mark this milestone in true Sesame Street fashion with a video of one of their treasured characters, The Count, counting all the "You's" in their 1 billion views.  Sesame Street is a show that most of us, regardless of race, gender, or age have grown up with, so it's great to see how they have embraced new technology and social media in their efforts to educate children across the globe.   Enjoy counting with The Count!



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Copyright Society of USA's Copyright Career Panel & Networking Event

Tomorrow (1/16), the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. will be hosting a career panel and networking reception at GW's law school from 6-8:30pm.  Law students and younger attorneys will be able to network with more experienced attorneys, who will serve as "mentors for an evening".  There are a variety of career paths to practicing Copyright law, so this event sounds like a really great opportunity to get some guidance in helping getting your career off to a good start.

Admission is free for current students and $20 for law graduates.  RVSP in advance to csusadc@gmail.com  For more info visit the CSUSA's DC Area Chapter page.

Surprising Movie Tops List of 2012's Most Pirated Movies

The most pirated movies of 2012, guesses anyone? The Dark Knight Rises...sure, that one's on the list.  What about the hilarious 21 Jump Street or one of those Twilight movies about the silly vampires who don't seem to be bothered by daylight?  Yep, they made the list too.  However, the most pirated movie this past year according to TorrentFreak might come as a bit of a surprise.  It turns out the teenage party movie, Project X, topped the list as the most pirated movie of 2012. The movie was illegally downloaded on BitTorrent an astounding 8.72 million times between January 1st and mid-December of 2012.  While some of the years biggest blockbusters made the list, this movie didn't boast any big names but still managed to bring in a little over $100 million at the box office. Interestingly enough, Project X actually grossed the least out of is fellow "most-pirated" list mates like Mission Impossible or The Avengers.  While viewers today are faced with multiple ways to legally stream or download movies, clearly there is still a large demand for pirated content. 


Top 10 Most-Pirated Films of 2012
1. Project X
2. Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol
3. The Dark Knight Rises
4. The Avengers
5. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
6. 21 Jump Street
7. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
8. The Dictator
9. Ice Age: Continental Drift
10. Twilight: Breaking Dawn--Part 1


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December 7th Marks Anniversary of RIAA v. Napster

December 7, 1999 marked a pivotal moment in history of the music and entertainment industries.  Exactly 13 years ago today, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued the peer-to-peer file sharing software company Napster for violating the copyrights of its members.  The lawsuit represented the beginning of the end for Napster while also posing a significant shift in the way people were obtaining music.  Prior to the introduction of legal mp3 stores like iTunes in 2003, millions of people downloaded Napster and similar programs to download music illegally.   Nearly a year ago to the day, Napster's doors officially came to a close as the company was purchased by Rhapsody on December 1, 2011.  In the wake of this lawsuit and many others like it, music went from being purchased on CDs, to being downloaded, to being streamed over the internet.  More than a decade later, the music industry is still conjuring ways to reach listeners while ensuring their artists receive the proper compensation.  Now two of Napster's founders, Sean Fanning and Sean Parker, can see their dreams of creating a social music service come into fruition as they successfully brought the popular and fully legal music streaming service Spotify to the U.S.

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The Story Behind the "Made In NY" Tax Incentives for Film Productions

The New York Times recently posted this video explaining programs that create tax credits for film productions made in New York City.  The tax incentive program, most commonly referred to as Made In NY, kept many films shooting in the city instead of defaulting to other locations that may resemble NYC,  like Toronto or Vancouver, Canada. The piece also highlights some growing concern over maintaining these costly programs when those funds could be diverted for more practical uses throughout NYC. Overall, the video sheds some light on why there's nothing like filming in New York City, whether it be visually or financially. 

Enjoy!  


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Bob Marley Estate Feeling "One Love" After Settling Trademark Lawsuit with Half-Brother

Around this time last year, the estate of the late musical legend Bob Marley filed a federal Trademark infringement lawsuit against Marley's half-brother Richard Booker.  The family contended that Booker had been actively using his half-brother's name and likeness in promoting an energy drink and his line of fish products, "Mama Marley's".  The suit also alleged that Booker used his sibling's image without proper authorization to promote the 9 Mile Music Festival in Miami, aptly named after the Jamaican village where Bob Marley was born.  Interestingly enough, three of Marley's children, Stephen, Damian, and Julian performed at last year's festival. 

Within a few months, Booker filed a countersuit against the estate in which he claimed that he was given permission to use the images from Bob Marley himself.  Now the parties have reached an undisclosed out of court settlement. 

After his death in 1981, Bob Marley's estate has been handled by his widow, Rita Marley and his nine children.  In recent years, the Marley estate has lent the singer's image to a variety of merchandise and the critically acclaimed documentary Marley.




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