Blog
My Take on The 2014 Grammys Show
I'm a Grammys member & am supposed to be thrilled & engaged. The opening is perfectly predictable like every Grammy show. But for once I don't think we'll get an EDUCATIONAL lecture about the evils of downloading & that downloaders, Pandora and the ANTICHRIST herself aka GOOGLE who have stopped the performance & creation of music. I wish the teleprompter readers the very best of luck tonight. And I am pro-my clients, friends and the old people (Beatles rhythm section guys and any other 60+ ancient folk). Time for Twitter where there is peace.
Robin Thicke "Blurred Lines" v. Marvin Gaye "Got To Give It Up" - My Interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - "Day 6"
From the CBC interview: "To help us understand what it would take to prove that Blurred Lines rips off Got To Give It Up in a court of law, we’re joined by musicologist and law professor Dr. E. Michael Harrington who has served as a consultant and expert witness in copyright cases involving everyone from the Dixie Chicks, Lady Gaga to Woody Guthrie. He joins us from Birmingham, Alabama."
Joe Escalante Will Interview Me Today About Robin Thicke v. Marvin Gaye
From the letter I wrote in response to an attorney's letter to me:I agree with you that Marvin Gaye’s “groove” and “bounce” were “quite original.” But are there any music copyright infringement lawsuits in which “groove” and/or “bounce” (aside from sampling/sound recording copyright issues) were held to be copyrightable expression? Is there an agreed upon/standard definition of “groove” or “bounce” in any case law?Can you cite for me a successful music composition (not sound recording, but music composition) copyright infringement lawsuit in which plaintiffs have prevailed when there was NO copying of MELODY, harmony or rhythm? Objectively, there is NO protectable expression (melody, harmony, etc.) that has been copied by Thicke.
Good News for Robin, Katy & One Direction: Music Copyright Expert Says Nobody's Ripping Off Anybody
Hey music fans: it's time to stop accusing artists of ripping off other artists. Because according to an expert in music copyright law, nobody really has a case.Exhibit #1: Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." Robin and his co-writers just went to court to to establish that "Blurred Lines" doesn't rip off two particular songs: Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up. Pt.1" and "Sexy Ways," by the group Funkadelic. But let's say Robin was to get sued anyway. Would he lose? Music copyright law professor Dr. E. Michael Harrington says no.
Who's tripping down the streets of the city? Robin Thicke?
8 Questions raised in the previous post now answered:1. If Artist B copied a less-than-2-second phrase from Artist A (that when repeated in Artist A's song amounted to 2% of Artist A's song), should Artist A be entitled to 50% of Artist B's profits?Answer: NO2. Is awarding 50% of Artist B's copyright to Artist A sufficient recompense for the copy of 2% of Artist A's copyright?