Sarkozy's Party Found Violating Copyright Yet Again With Awful Lipdub

from the isn't-that-three-strikes? dept

Wed, Dec 16th 2009 12:35pm — Mike Masnick

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been pushing himself as a defender of copyrights, and even helped create the original three strikes plan in France. And yet, he and his political party keep getting caught infringing on copyrights. First there was the use of a song in some online videos without proper licensing. Then there was the issue with mass pirating DVDs. So you would think that his party would be extra careful when putting together yet another online video involving music. Apparently not.

In a move that is being widely mocked even by those within Sarkozy's party, it has released a lipdub video using some UMP politicians singing along. The only problem? You guessed it... the party did not properly clear the rights and now need to pay up for infringing on the copyright (Google translation from the original French).

Apparently, they had licensed the rights to the original version of the song, from 1976, but then decided they didn't like that recording, and instead used a modern version of the song. According to another report, the UMP had asked the copyright holder if it could use this version, and they were turned down, because the label did not want the song used for political purposes. So Sarkozy's party just used it anyway.

I wonder if Sarkozy can blame Vimeo for inventing "lip dubs" and encouraging the UMP to violate copyright laws in this manner. But, the real question remains: given that France has moved forward with Sarkozy's plan to kick infringers off the internet on a three strikes basis, and this appears to be at least Sarkozy's third strike, does the UMP have to give up their internet access? Or do Sarkozy's favored laws not apply to Sarkozy?

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Filed Under: copyright, france, lip dubs, nicolas sarkozy

13 Comments

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Will (profile), 16 Dec 2009 @ 11:51am

Sounds like
Sounds like if Sarkozy really wants to be serious about kicking people off the internet for infringement, he needs to learn to not be a hypocrite about it.
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ObjectiveR (profile), 16 Dec 2009 @ 12:52pm

To be fair, the article doesn't mention if Sarkozy is kicking himself off the internet or not.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Dec 2009 @ 12:55pm

Actually, since it isn't Mr Sarkozy himself doing any of it, he isn't the one liable. Some individual in the party (or the party themselves) is liable.

Does the 3 strikes law apply to companies and political parties?
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A Dan (profile), 16 Dec 2009 @ 1:08pm

Re:
As everyone in the US knows, companies are people, too. Or does that not apply in France?
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cybearDJM (profile), 16 Dec 2009 @ 2:42pm

I might even doubt of his knowledge of the Internet and Technology as a whole... ;-)
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Chargone (profile), 16 Dec 2009 @ 2:50pm

Re: Re:
dunno about France, but it always struck me that companies are people only when it helps them make money. whether that's true or not is a different story, m ind you.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Dec 2009 @ 4:52pm

UMP caught again
http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2009/12/16/le-droit-d-auteur-et-l-ump-une-histoire-compli quee_1281659_651865.html

it's about Frédéric Lefebvre (spokesman for the UMP) putting articles on his blog without the authors consent.
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Nobody Is Perfect, 16 Dec 2009 @ 4:53pm

UMP caught again
http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2009/12/16/le-droit-d-auteur-et-l-ump-une-histoire-compli quee_1281659_651865.html

it's about Frédéric Lefebvre (spokesman for the UMP) putting articles on his blog without the authors consent.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Dec 2009 @ 5:38pm

Ha ha - what a DB
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clarinette, 17 Dec 2009 @ 12:20am

Law for everyone, and everone's respect of law?
That I'm afraid just show how much the IP matter is becoming complex and it's respect tricky. On the French 3 strikes, see my blog (in French) :http://clarinettesblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/le-respect-de-la-loi-pour-tous-et-par.html
We also had the issue with the President Obama's present to the Queen of the iPod filled with music downloads (He was allowed to transfer, even for free, the content of purchased music downloaded to third)
On the complexity of the IP law today, I would recommend Lawrence Lessig's video : Do Copyright Laws Stifle Creativity? - Lawrence Lessig - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXwB9FlkNXA
Lawrence Lessig himeself washit by Warner with DMCA takedown (see: Ars Tecnica - http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/lessig-presentation-on-youtube-hit-with-dmca-takedow n-notice.ars
See also my 'letter to my MP' - http://clarinettesblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/letter-to-my-mp.html
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Rabbit80 (profile), 17 Dec 2009 @ 4:01am

All the ISPs should join forces and block any websites mentioning Sarkozy or his party - and refuse to provide them with internet access... in other words implement their own 3 strikes!

We would see how quickly he would back down!
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 17 Dec 2009 @ 6:29am

Re: Re: Re:
A country of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 17 Dec 2009 @ 6:52am

Re:
I think I would pay to see that happen. Not a lot, but I would help out.
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