UK copyright reform needs your parody/copyright tales of woe!

Peter from the UK Open Rights Group sez,

The Hargreaves Review of IP and Growth, published in May, called for the UK Government to put more 'exceptions' to copyright into law. These would allow people to do more socially or economically useful things with copyrighted material without needing permission. One of those exceptions is for 'parody', which would allow people to satirise copyrighted works. These exceptions are all incredibly important in helping modernise copyright law for the digital age.

Whilst the government has indicated it welcomes the review's findings, it is an independent review. So there is a big challenge to explain to policy makers that there is a clear need for a new parody exception, and that parody is a legitimate follow-on use of a work. So we are looking for as many clear examples of where a parody exception would help - whether it is work that has been taken down, prohibited or stifled due to a lack of such an exception. We're also looking for testimony from creators who see the value in the certainty of an exception, or who have experienced problems with the lack of one.

Do you know about parodies that have been stifled because of fear of litigation? Respond in the comments and help change UK copyright law!

• [Mister44]

  There was an indie film that was about an alternate universe where the South won the Civil War. I made a time line highlighting how events from the Civil War to today were different. I had a lot of fun making up some of these fake events.

  Anyway, the timelines was supposed to be from “Confederate Geographic”, and featured yellow frames around the photos etc. National Geographic I guess didn’t appreciate this and sent a “cut that out” letter. So I changed it to red frames and the magazine to “Confederate Cartography”.

• [eclectech]

  I had to remove a very splendid parody of James Blunts ‘You’re Beautiful’ from my animated version of the video. I have left the visuals online but the soundtrack (performed by a friend, with lyrics he wrote) has gone after we received legal threats.
  http://www.eclectech.co.uk/gullible

  James Blunt was asked about it on an Australian TV show (when the sound was still live) and took it well; said he’d chucked a few tomatoes at himself on there.

  I’ve also produced parody animations for multinational organisations who use offices outwith the UK to license music, specifically to avoid the restrictive UK legislation.

  Most of my creative partners won’t do parodies anymore, and I’m reluctant too…

• [Anonymous]

  My Trainspotting video was blocked/unblocked & blocked on YouTube after Channel 4 initially put its credit next to it and let it run for a few weeks. It now resides elsewhere: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9ut27_mps-expenses-financial-gainspotting_news and will be seen in other locations if blocked.

  btw – tried to create a boingboing account but no email received after a while, hence ‘anonymous’ message from me, Beau Bo D’Or

• [Anonymous]

  As a t-shirt Artist with a love of parody, I have had several designs removed from on-line sites. It is very annoying but I cannot afford to fight my cause. I still have many more parody designs available ( http://www.brotheradam.com.au )and still expect to receive a few requests/threats to desist down the road. I see parody as a form of topical free speech.

• [Murphy’s Lawyer]

  [Anecdote_alert] A friend of mine who worked at the BBC once told me that’s why Weird Al Yankovic doesn’t get much airplay in the UK.

• [Anonymous]

  I think the Icreamists vs Lady Gaga scenario maybe a good example http://blog.theicecreamists.com/2011/03/lady-gag-va-the-icecreamists/

• [Anonymous]

  Actually, I read that Weird Al pays the royalties to the artists even thought most of his music is parody. Parody in the US has always been the one way to circumvent copyrights, but I think with the ease of digital reproduction there will certainly be an expansion of using copyrighted material from sampling music to stealing lines from a film or straight up copying art. How easy is it too find something of quality and claim it as your own without the owners of that finding out? Really easy.

  The first UK example I can recall is Example’s parody song of Lily Allen’s song:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY5A90dJvbI

• [NickPheas]

  Newport State of Mind

• [Anonymous]

  Well, there’s Tanya Grotter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanya_Grotter From all I can see, it’s a perfectly legitimate parody, but Rowling’s lawyers won’t even let it be published in the US. (When accusations of plagiarism were made against Rowling herself [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_disputes_over_the_Harry_Potter_series#Allegations_of_copyright_and_trademark_infringement_against_Rowling ] she won those cases, too…. it all depends on who has the most money for lawyers, and the Harry Potter franchise has a lot of money. )

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    You might want to read a definition of ‘parody’.

• [Crazziee]

  All the Downfall parodies that get pulled from Youtube.

• [Anonymous]

  A good friend made an excellent video, for a new track he had remixed. It is a drum and bass folk remix, and he cut up and mashed up the performance of a certain riverdancer. It is truly fantastic, a great tune and a video that just makes me burst out laughing whenever I see it. But he doesn’t want to release it, because he is worried about getting sued.