Re: "CD manufacturers were sued, and lost..."

On 9/1/98, Carol Ruth Shepherd <shepherd[_at_]arborlaw.com> wrote:
>
> According to a report from PRI (Public Radio International) this
> morning, "CD manufacturers" "were sued" and are now requiring
> producers to provide verification of copyright license or ownership.
>
> Anyone know which cases they're talking about?

Yes, I heard that story yesterday. Basically, CD manufacturers were sued because of some instances of bootlegging of copyrighted materials. All recorded work must be kosher legally in order for CD manufacturers to take on the work. So far, what that means is that copyright accountability currently resides with these manufacturers; it strikes me as being analogous to the Kinko's and copyright of printed material controversy. There are a number of artists who sample previously existing works, etc. and it is this sort of work (especially rap music) which will come under the strong hand of this legal action. Also, some other media trickster bands such as Negativland (which uses more substantial advertising/mass media sound recordings from tV ads, etc.) which is now unable to find a company to press CD's. It's an interesting topic as many forms of new media from music to film/video and interactive computer work uses what Negativland calls 'the flotsam and jetsam' of the sound world. They say, according to the NPR story, that their approach is analogous to the Surrealist movement of image collage.

What I'm wondering is how literal translation of original intention of soundwork from advertising, etc. into satirical or forms otherwise transformed from the original work is affected by copyright laws.

Madeleine Fix
Master's Candidate
Art Education
The Ohio State University
fix.3[_at_]osu.edu Received on Wed Sep 02 1998 - 15:30:54 GMT