“Don’t Use Our Songs”

July 25, 2016 David Newhoff Tags: John Oliver music in campaigns

There was no way I could not share this. I recommend watching all the way through to the end. Is the message entirely on solid ground copyright-wise? Not quite. Is the sentiment in the right place? I think so. And it’s funny as hell and includes a nice shout out to one of my favorite bands, The Dropkick Murphys.

Happy Monday.

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Tags: John Oliver music in campaigns

David Newhoff

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David is an author, communications professional, and copyright advocate. After more than 20 years providing creative services and consulting in corporate communications, he shifted his attention to law and policy, beginning with advocacy of copyright and the value of creative professionals to America’s economy, core principles, and culture.

2 Comments

Rich Layton says:

July 25, 2016 at 4:42 pm

That was indeed LOL – thanks! But why aren’t the rights organizations able to levy a penalty? Despite our warnings, some clients (global insurance company) once used “My Way” at their annual meeting and got hit with $75k settlement. And, no, I didn’t report them.

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- David Newhoff says:
  
  July 25, 2016 at 5:26 pm
  
  In a nutshell, Rich, many of these uses should be covered by compulsory PRO licenses as long as those are paid. If a song is reused enough that it starts to become a theme song, the artist(s) might have claim that a candidate is infringing their right of publicity by implying endorsement. I’m guessing the insurance company you mentioned wasn’t covered by a PRO and didn’t check with the venue regarding coverage.
  
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