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Jesse Walker gives a heartfelt rendition of "This Land Is Your Land." (Some lyrics may have been changed.)
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|7.29.04 @ 3:30AM|#
The version I used to sing in my 1960's comedy folk singing heyday went:
This land is my land,
This land is my land,
Get off of my land,
Go find your own land!
It's a good thing there weren't as many copyright lawyers on the prowl back then; they should have heard some of our other stuff!
Al Barger|7.29.04 @ 3:44AM|#
Not just the DMCA, but all of copyright law in the US now is severely screwed.
I am a candidate for US Senate from Indiana. CLICK HERE to see my position paper on copyright reform.
In short, I challenge you to find another candidate for Congress this year from any party that is more pro-consumer and pro-public domain than me.
|7.29.04 @ 5:39AM|#
This song was my song,
it can't be your song.
Let's thank the lawyers
for making you criminals.
If I wasn't worm food,
I'd fire those stupid paper-pushers.
My song belongs to you and me.
|7.29.04 @ 6:28AM|#
Parodies of song lyrics, or satire that uses a song lyric as a model have been legal at least since Mad magazine won a suit brought against them by a sonwriter. [I want to say Irving Berlin.] The Madmen would write a goofy lyric, and place the legend "Sing to the tune of EasterParade" underneath the title.
What they didn't do was release recordings of a performance, or reprint the sheet music. That's where the JibJab fellows may be tripped up. See:
CAMPBELL v. ACUFF-ROSE MUSIC, INC @
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=000&invol=U10426
Kevin
(IANAL)
|7.29.04 @ 7:39AM|#
Yeah, it was Irving Berlin v. EC. See:http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,190220,00.html
And though Berlin enjoyed writing parodies of other composers' songs, he sued Mad magazine for a 1962 folio of song parodies, including several of his ("Always," "A Pretty Girl..."). The suit was eventually dismissed.
Looks like the JibJabbers are in the clear, if the tune was cribbed from what is now in the public domain.
Kevin