Lawyers In Love–Lessig To Warner: Shove It Pal!

April 29, 2009

Freedom Fighter Lawrence Lessig

Everyone loves author, professor, freedom fighter and all around copyright egghead Lawrence Lessig. Everybody except Warner Music. Lessig posted one of his presentations on YouTube that evidently contains some Warner Music content. This is certainly within the bounds of the fair use doctrine. Larry surely thinks so. But it appears that some bonehead lawyer at WMG doesn’t. Warner filed a DMCA takedown notice and Lessig vows to fight. The lawyers at Warner are about as tone deaf as the Republican Party. Whoever came up with this idea was probably the same guy who authorized the Air Force One Manhattan flyover the other day.

The bad news is that Warner will probably wimp out and withdraw the takedown notice thus denying us the enjoyment of watching Lessig humiliate them publicly. Who says that lawyers are ruining the music business? Hogwash!