Welcome Back, Potter July 21, 2007
Parody is an example of Fair Use. This video is a perfect example of parody. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter series and old enough to remember Welcome Back, Kotter you will get a chuckle from this video. There are lots of other well known examples of parody in our popular culture. Television shows like The Simpsons, SNL, or South Park are other examples of works that make extensive use of Fair Use to create new works based on other peoples creative talent. The web is overflowing with such things. Can you imagine how barren our culture would be without Fair Use? Thanks BB!
Free Download 8, Don’t Download This Song! August 22, 2006
Weird Al has released a song about file sharing entitled “Don’t Download this song” (thanks BoingBoing!). You can download it from his MySpace page or from www.dontdownloadthissong.comtracks/DDTS.mp3 when the server recovers from the millions of pirates trying to download it.
The lyrics are a hoot,
“You don’t want to mess with the RI-double-A
They’ll sue you if you burn that CDR
It doesn’t matter if you’re a grandma
Or a seven year old girl
They’ll treat you like
the evil hard-bitten criminal you are…”
and
“…don’t download this song
or you’ll burn in hell
(and you deserve it)…”
It’s good to see artist’s standing up for what they believe in.
Files are not for sharing! June 24, 2006
Matthew Baldwin and Goopymart have an informative yet humorous on-line book for kids called Files are not for sharing.
This book is a must read for young people trying to understand file sharing.
“What is sharing?
Sharing is when you give something to someone else, like a cookie or a toy.
What happens when you share?
Your friend has a cookie and a toy and you have nothing.”
Dear Sony, Microsoft, the MPAA, the RIAA, and Apple: Let’s make deal…. April 23, 2006
Randall Munroe pokes a little fun at the entertainment industry in this comic-strip about where when and how we play movies and music and how the industry can avoid house crushing walls of ice. Thanks BoingBoing!
Blast from the past February 28, 2006
You may be new to the issues surrounding fair use or you may have been following them for a long time and simply forgot about some of the wonderful humor that comes out of the mess. Which ever the case may be, I would be delinquent in my duties if I didn’t pass on this news,
The onion reports LOS ANGELES—The Recording Industry Association of America filed a $7.1 billion lawsuit against the nation’s radio stations Monday, accusing them of freely distributing copyrighted music.
I know! I could hardly believe it myself.
