Monday, September 14, 2009
National Skyline Slangs and Arrows: Nashville Sues Ellen for Copyright Violations
Posted by Tracy Moore on Mon, Sep 14, 2009 at 10:36 AM
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By now it's likely you've heard that comedian Ellen Degeneres has been sued by 17 record comp'nies for cribbing like, 1,000 songs on her show without paying any money for them. Songs like "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys and "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith.
According to this Tennessean piece, the suit was filed right here in Nashville, but what I find far more important--not to mention hilarious--is this little gem:
The music companies claim they approached producers about the issue and were told by show executives that they "did not roll that way."
And the record companies' response?
"As sophisticated consumers of music," attorneys for the recording companies wrote in the suit, "Defendants knew full well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act, and under state law for the pre-1972 recordings, they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully." [Emphasis mine.]
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