Last week the Legal Broadcast Network was one of the first media outlets to speak with nationally renown entertainment and intellectual property rights lawyer Larry Iser, when news of the suit filed by his client, Jackson Browne hit the wires. This case, while at first glance appears political, it's my opinion that it is really just a very solid copyright infringement case. I attach the entire article for you to read with the note that I really believe we are going to see a lot more of these case in the next few years as lawyers such as Larry Iser move aggressively to protect the long abused muscial and artistic IP of their clients. There is a looming ruling involving the recording industry that will futher strenghten the hand of lawyers protecting clients copyrights so I feel that lawyers and settlement professionals need to further educate themselves in this area and be in a position where they can utilize taxable, non-qualified structured annuities to fund the eventual payouts.
"Jackson Browne has filed a lawsuit today against Senator John McCain and the Republican National Committee in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, California. The lawsuit stems from a recent television commercial for Senator McCain's presidential bid that incorporates the song Running On Empty.
There have been similar lawsuits in the past from artists like John Mellencamp and Abba for unauthorized use. This suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles claims the songs use is a clear infringement of his copyright and will lead people to the conclusion that he somehow endorses McCain.
Browne, a life long avowed liberal " an advocate for social and environmental justice " is noted in the article to have already made prior donations to Senator Obama's campaign and he is clearly upset about the use of the song.
While on it's face this might seem like a politically motivated action by a life time liberal entertainer, it really is much more then that as our interview with Attorney Larry Iser reveals. The ongoing abuse of music and entertainment intellectual property in a post Napster era is an issue that flys under the radar, particularly on the internet where people just assume they can grab a song and use it for their own entertainment and commercial purposes. As you'll hear in the interview, this is part of a long running and consistent pattern of abuse of the copyright laws and the careless attitude of the McCain camp in this instance has caused some of the industry's leading IP lawyers to draw a line in the sand. This is not the last we will hear of this case.
Scott Drake, host of the Legal Broadcast Network daily affairs show, Speaking of Justice, talks with Jackson Browne's attorney...Larry Iser in Santa Monica. California "
Click here to listen to the full podcast with Larry Iser on the Jackson Browne Law suit against John McCain.
The story from the AP
"Jackson Browne has filed a lawsuit today against Senator John McCain and the Republican National Committee in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, California. The lawsuit stems from a recent television commercial for Senator McCain's presidential bid that incorporates the song Running On Empty.
There have been similar lawsuits in the past from artists like John Mellencamp and Abba for unauthorized use. This suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles claims the songs use is a clear infringement of his copyright and will lead people to the conclusion that he somehow endorses McCain.
Browne, a life long avowed liberal " an advocate for social and environmental justice " is noted in the article to have already made prior donations to Senator Obama's campaign and he is clearly upset about the use of the song.
While on it's face this might seem like a politically motivated action by a life time liberal entertainer, it really is much more then that as our interview with Attorney Larry Iser reveals. The ongoing abuse of music and entertainment intellectual property in a post Napster era is an issue that flys under the radar, particularly on the internet where people just assume they can grab a song and use it for their own entertainment and commercial purposes. As you'll hear in the interview, this is part of a long running and consistent pattern of abuse of the copyright laws and the careless attitude of the McCain camp in this instance has caused some of the industry's leading IP lawyers to draw a line in the sand. This is not the last we will hear of this case.
Scott Drake, host of the Legal Broadcast Network daily affairs show, Speaking of Justice, talks with Jackson Browne's attorney...Larry Iser in Santa Monica. California "
Click here to listen to the full podcast with Larry Iser on the Jackson Browne Law suit against John McCain.
The story from the AP
