Ellen can dance if she wants to, but she’s also gotta pay…as much as $150,000 per song!
[Pacific Coast News]
Television producers should know that music isn’t free, so it’s surprising that several record labels have filed a lawsuit alleging that The Ellen DeGeneres Show failed to obtain licensing rights to more than 1,000 songs since the show started.
The plaintiffs — including Arista Music, Atlantic Recording Corp., Capitol Records, Motown Record Company, Sony Music Entertainment, Virgin Records America and Warner Bros. Records — claim that the show has used copyrighted music without permission, including “recordings by virtually every major current artist of popular music.”
The lawsuit does not specify damages, but the show could face damages between $750 and $30,000 per song. If the plaintiffs show willful infringement, damages can amount up to $150,000 per song.
Popsquire smells a settlement!
PS: The irony of Ellen becoming an American Idol judge as record labels sue her daytime talk show for failing to pay for music is not lost on Pospquire.
A federal court judge decided today that while Jessica Seinfeld is not a veggie villain, Jerry could still be on the hook for his rotten jokes.
[Bauer Griffin Online]
As a refresher, Missy Chase Lapine and Jessica Seinfeld released books in 2007 about how to sneak vegetables into kids’ meals. Lapine filed a lawsuit alleging that Jessica plagiarized her book. She also sued Jerry for defamation after he appeared on Late Night With David Letterman and compared Lapine to the killers of John Lennon and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The judge threw out the plagiarism case, but left open the possibility that Lapine can continue with the defamation suit in state court.
While no one can blame Lapine for being angry about the comparison to killers, a state court might tell her to get a sense of humor. For a statement to constitute defamation, it must be a statement of fact and not an opinion.
If Jerry can show a judge that his statements were simply opinion disguised as jokes, then he can win. This could be the toughest audience of his career!
It looks like John McCain is settling for something other than being the Presidential runner up.
Popsquire followers likely remember that singer/songwriter Jackson Browne filed a copyright infringement lawsuit last August against McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party. He alleged that they used his song, “Running on Empty,” without authorization during a campaign video about energy policy.
Now, the three defendants have brokered a settlement with Browne and are saying sorry:
“We apologize that a portion of the Jackson Browne song ‘Running on Empty’ was used without permission. Although Senator McCain had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the creation or distribution of the Web campaign video, Senator McCain does not support or condone any actions taken by anyone involved in his 2008 presidential election campaign that were inconsistent with artists’ rights or the various legal protections afforded to intellectual property.”
The only question left is how much they had to empty their pockets to make this lawsuit go away. That information, of course, likely will remain confidential. Boo.
The MPAA estimates that Hollywood loses $7 billion a year due to illegal internet piracy, but not when it comes to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Topping the box office, the film grossed $87 million in its opening weekend!
Hugh Jackman is taking his claws out to fight Hollywood piracy.
[Insidefoto / PR Photos]
Speaking about last week’s online leak of Wolverine, he says:
“It’s a serious crime and there’s no doubt it’s very disappointing…Obviously, people are seeing an unfinished film. It’s like a Ferrari without a paint job.”
It is a serious crime, indeed. The person responsible for the leak could go to jail for five years! Click here to watch Popsquire discuss this on Fox News over the weekend.
In case you weren’t glued to your tv yesterday afternoon, here is an encore presentation of Popsquire’s *live* appearance on Fox News discussing how piracy affects Hollywood.
Don’t call the show Cash Bridges! That’s what Don Johnson says…
In a lawsuit filed yesterday in LA Superior Court, Johnson claims that although the series earned more than $150 million from syndication, he hasn’t been paid. Johnson says he is the co-owner of the copyright and, as a result, is entitled to 50% of the profits.
Actors should be paid properly, but this seems odd. Actors rarely are co-owners of a show’s copyright, even when they get Executive Producer credit like Johnson did with Nash Bridges. Either something isn’t adding up, or Johnson had an amazing lawyer when he signed up to do the show! Popsquire will keep you posted.
An anonymous European buyer paid $37,500 for a full-frontal, nude photo of a 20-year-old Madonna at a Christie’s auction yesterday. So, how is it legal to sell naked pics of Madonna without her permission?
The answer: Just because Madonna is in the picture, doesn’t mean she owns it. Generally, the photographers own all rights to pictures they take, which mean they decide when, where and to whom to sell the pics. Of course, if Madonna actually cared, she likely could have paid more than anyone else!
Copyright much? Although Nancy Cartwright provides Bart Simpson’s voice, she may not own the rights to use the character’s name, voice or likeness without permission from the show’s producers or creators. Let’s hope she got permission before making this Scientology promotional call…
UPDATE: Not surprisingly, Fox pulled the YouTube video this evening, but Popsquire took notes!
In the voicemail, Cartwright advertises her current Scientology auditing level — new OT VII — and invites listeners to a Jan. 31 Scientology event at which she intends to speak. The message begins with her saying (and clearly using her Bart Simpson voice): “Yo, what’s happenin’ man, this is Bart Simpson. Haha. Just kidding, don’t hang up, this is Nancy Cartwright.” Later, after providing all the relevant info for the event, she again uses Bart’s voice and says, “It’s gonna be a blast, man.”
Coldplay are getting heated up over Joe Satriani’s accusation that they stole his song!
Responding to Satriani’s claim for copyright infringement over the alleged similarity between Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and Satriani’s “If I Could Fly,” the band issued this statement on their website:
With the greatest possible respect to Joe Satriani, we have now unfortunately found it necessary to respond publicly to his allegations. If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him. Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write or have any influence on the song Viva La Vida. We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavours. Coldplay.
A sticky lawsuit became sweet for Madonna in a London court today!
A London High Court judge found the UK’s Mail on Sunday liable for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement after publishing stolen photos of Madonna’s 2000 wedding to Guy Ritchie. On Oct. 19, 2008, the tabloid published an 11-photo spread of the private pics, which were stolen from M’s Beverly Hills home by an interior designer.
The designer sold the photos for $7,500, but Madonna wants $7.5 million in damages. A decision on the amount of damages is not expected until next year, and Popsquire will keep you posted!
Rock guitarist Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay for copyright infringement, claiming that the group’s song “Viva La Vida” plagiarized his 2004 instrumental, “If I Could Fly.” In a copyright case, the basic (and vague) legal question is whether the two works are “substantially similar.” Listen below and tell Popsqure what you think!
Popsquire presents yet another loud collision between pop culture and law…
A Los Angeles court ruling ruling today could affect the highly anticipated 2009 release of Watchmen! Earlier this year, Fox filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. to stop Watchmen’s release, claiming that it — not Warner Bros. — held the distribution rights to any movie made from the original graphic novel. Today, a Los Angeles judge denied a Warner Bros. motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Next steps for the parties likely will be the discovery process in which they exchange information and depose witnesses. And, for Popsquire followers, the next steps include a snarky, cynical chuckle. According to Variety, Fox’s legal team says it isn’t looking for monetary compensation and, instead, only wants to prevent the film from being released.
Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne thinks John McCain is a jackass!
Actually, the problem is that Browne is a jackass and McCain is an elephant. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and outspoken Democrat is suing McCain and the Republican National Committee for copyright infringement, claiming that the use of Brown’s hit, “Running on Empty,” in an ad slamming Barack Obama was unauthorized.
Come on…doesn’t the Patriot Act allow politicians to strip artists of their rights for the sake of national security?!?
Rapper 50 Cent smells something rotten at Taco Bell!
He’s suing the chalupa chain for trademark infringement and misappropriation of his right to publicity, among other claims. Click here to read the lawsuit, but here’s enough information to get you through any dinner conversation. 50 alleges:
Taco Bell drafted a “faux” letter purportedly addressed to 50, asking him to change his name for one day from “50 Cent” to “79 Cent,” “89 Cent,” or “99 Cent” in order to publicize the fast food chain’s value menu.
The letter went out to the national press, instead of to the rapper. The media then ran the letter, providing millions of dollars in free publicity without licensing the rapper’s trademarked name.
Taco Bell knew it may have had to pay 50 a multi-million dollar fee to get his endorsement. Instead, Taco Bell “chose to steal his endorsement and to enjoy all the publicity of being associated with a mega-star while bearing none of the costs.”
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