Remix Artist Pogo Expecting To Be Sued By Disney For Releasing Latest Remix (Created For Disney)

from the copyright-as-censorship dept

Mon, Nov 15th 2010 9:42am — Mike Masnick

Nick Dynice points us to the news that a remix artist named Pogo is getting ready to release some new audio/video remixes, based on Disney films -- but he's expecting to get sued by Disney to do so. That's because (apparently) he was working for Disney in creating some of these videos, but folks there are refusing to let the videos he created be released:

Folks, I long to release my Pirates Of The Caribbean mix on YouTube. I think it's one of my best mixes yet, and it's agonizing to imagine it rotting away in some filing cabinet instead of taking its rightful place in my body of work. All I've been told is that the producers at Jerry Bruckheimer Films want nothing to do with it. Whether that means they're displeased or they're just waiting for the right time is impossible for me to say. The sad reality is, Swashbuckle was contracted work. I�d literally have to start saving the money that Disney would sue me before making the decision to upload it. But who knows? It might just come to that. My music is my mark in this world. If I have to pay to watch it entertain millions of people, then so be it.

Of course, I find it quite intriguing that Disney appears to have hired a remix artist to create remix videos. I'd love to get more details on how that came about in the first place. What's really odd is that the blog post indicates that he had to take down his "classic" Disney movie remixes while he was working at Disney, but now that his contract is up, he's free to put them back up. You can see an absolutely brilliant song he made out of the classic Snow White film, using "vocal syllables, musical chords and sound effects" all from the 1937 Disney film:

If I worked at Disney, I'd hire this guy too... but I'd set him loose to release whatever he came up with. It's hard to see how a video similar to the one above could do any harm whatsoever to Disney. If anything, it makes me want to go see the original film again.

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Filed Under: culture, pogo, remix, snow white
Companies: disney

37 Comments

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Dark Helmet (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 9:59am

Nice...
Very creative, although I could have done w/o the image of bambi cornholing himself to make th water spigget work....

Having said that, this type of stuff always reminds me of what the folks at OC ReMix do, and how the creators of the Street Fighter franchise were so impressed w/their work that they hired them to do an entire soundtrack, which of course ended up being one of game's best qualities.

Obviouly gaming companies are not always on teh right side of this stuff, but why do they seem to "get it" more often than movie/music folks?
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:09am

Well then!
After viewing the above linked video, I've decided to hate Disney and all it stands for!

Well, no, actually I didn't. Who would? But if they sue this guy....
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Jay (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:13am

Re: Nice...
They actually have to listen a little more than in other industries. Even then, the same concept applies that you're not supposed to go against the customers. But that's just my thinking.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:37am

ew
that was annoying to watch/listen to.

also, the sounds from the actual movie were very accent points in a sea of otherwise non-interesting background music that is not a remix at all.

in other words, just another craptasticly crappy remix. nothing to see here, move along.

(no, I cant make something better, why would you even ask that question?)
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:38am

Re: Nice...
Thanx for the tip!

(btw, when is Digilife published?)
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Dark Helmet (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:42am

Re: Re: Nice...
"(btw, when is Digilife published?)"

It's done. Just hasn't been picked up yet by an agent and/or publisher. Not a surprise, really, since I just started sending out query letters/submissions about three weeks ago, and normally you expect to hear back from those folks within 3-12 weeks.

More on topic, regarding OC ReMix: if you've ever played Final Fantasy 7, you probably love the soundtrack from the game, and OC ReMix did an INCREDIBLE job with an full remaking of the soundtrack that I recommend as highly as possible to ANYONE who loves videogame music....
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:49am

Re: Re: Re: Nice...
I will have to check that out. FF7 is one of my favorite games of all time--I still own the original multi-disc PS1 version.
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Jimr (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:54am

liability
What responsibility/liability would Pogo have if someone stole this video and proceed to post it on online?
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The eejit (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:55am

Re: ew
first off, it's wonderfully relaxing.

Secondly, there are other remixes that are more bizarre and interesting, Disney would be making a massive blunder by suing Pogo.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:56am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Nice...
ff7.ocremix.org/

There you go, they have a free download, via bittorrent if I remember correctly.

Seriously, their versions, with a few exceptions, are completely sick....
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Rich, 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:59am

Re: ew
Well, you know what they say about opinions.
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Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:08am

Re: ew
in other words, just another craptasticly crappy remix. nothing to see here, move along.

I love it when people insist that remix is nothing special, just because they don't like one particular remix. I happened to like this one quite a lot (even though I don't really like that style of music). So, based on your own idiotic standards, your comment is "nothing to see here, move along."

Obviously, you must agree, since in your opinion if one person thinks something is crap, then it should be ignored. I think your comment is crap, thus, by your logic, it should be ignored.
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Juan Doh, 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:12am

Wow
If this work isn't the definition of "transformative," I don't know what is. The images are clearly going to be a problem, but no competent judge could get him for the sampling of the audio.

This sort of sound isn't normally my cup of tea, but I have to say, I really like his work, and hope to hear "swashbuckle" when it hits. There is just no valid reason to prevent someone from making art like this.
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Ron Rezendes (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:15am

Just a guess...
It doesn't seem out of line to think that Disney will of course sue and demand the work be turned over to them which they will then turn around and use for marketing purposes because it is such a great piece of work. Disney will probably consider this a win-win scenario since they will be awarded damages and they get the work done for free.

Either that or it will go into the infamous "Disney vault" and won't see the light of day except when Disney opens the vault door to re-release another movie "for a limited" time.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:17am

Re: Wow
Not terribly familiar with this sort of art form, but I did enjoy this (thanks for posting, Mike). I also was pretty blown away by the amount of work and skill and talent that goes into such an endeavor.

Team Pogo.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:18am

Re: ew
You suck at remixing words together to create sentences.
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DS, 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:24am

Re: ew
Wow. You know, I clicked on the video before i started scrolling down, and before I read your comment, I thought I liked the song.

Now that I've read your comment, I've realized how wrong I was, and now I hate it.
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Terada (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:25am

Damage control?
I don't know how these remixes would damage Disney's brand. It may be a bit strange sounding but it has no sex, violence, or drugs. Frankly, they would take a normally uninterested segment of the population (like the kind that listens to electronica) and make them a little more interested in Disney. Besides, this remix sounds better the remixes they release on Disney Channel with their marginally talented stars. At least this required more talent.
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Jeff, 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:36am

Re: Re: ew
I have to agree with the AC here. I couldn't stand it. Not because it was a remix but the way he remixed it. I wouldn't be surprised that he was let go after Disney saw his finished product. So yeah, just crap, move along.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:46am

Re: Re: Nice...
As long as Dark Helmet doesn't have a problem with it, I could post a link to the unfinished version.

Either way, when it does come out, everyone should buy it. That's one hell of an ending.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:49am

Re: Re: Re: Nice...
I'm a child of Techdirt, for God's sake. Share if you like. Just let me know the link address so I can share it with others :)
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 11:51am

Re: Re: Re: ew
I have to admit I don't like it either, but just because I don't like it and you don't like it is no reason to hide it from the world. So far, more people like it then don't.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2010 @ 12:21pm

Welp, we know it exists now. All he has to do is leave his computer unsecured in the right ways for long enough, hint at having some computer issues, and wait for someone to 'liberate' it via good old fashioned computer hackin. Then he's in the clear (legally, not morally) provided he wasn't too obvious about it.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 12:27pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Nice...
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XR4AASK0

There you go.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 12:28pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Nice...
whoops, wrong reply. This is the link to digilife.epub
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Eo Nomine, 15 Nov 2010 @ 12:32pm

Really?!?
So lemme get this straight:

1) Company hires artist to perform work for hire;
2) Artist performs work and delivers to company (and presumably was paid);
3) Company decides (for whatever reason) not to use the work;
4) Artist doesn't like this and complains that, even though he was paid by someone else to make it, he can't post it online;

And the company is the villain here?
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Mr Big Content, 15 Nov 2010 @ 2:33pm

Re: ew
Exactly! There wasn�t a single note in there that wasn�t ripped off straight from the original. All he did was arrange them in a different order, he didn�t add a single new note at all. That that kind of rampant copying passes for �art� these days ... is very sad.
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 15 Nov 2010 @ 2:53pm

Gorgeous, Gorgeous Bit Of Work
See the rest of his stuff on his YouTube channel.

By the way, is it a coincidence that many sequences from those Disney films look like they�re made under the influence of drugs, anyway? I mean, talking animals, dancing plants, inanimate objects with faces on them ... what kind of imagination does that sort of thing come from? ;)
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SP, 15 Nov 2010 @ 4:23pm

Re: Re: ew
I know what you mean Mr. Big. Whenever I see a painting that others call art I just sigh. Seriously, all they're doing is copying colors from a color wheel and arranging them in a different order!
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iamtheky (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 5:26pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fUA8X9Dm3o

its up.
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Chris in Utah (profile), 15 Nov 2010 @ 7:46pm

Re: Really?!?
Any restriction of art regardless of the quality is an act of censorship. Do you want that? seriously?

Side note: My family liked it.
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out_of_the_blue, 15 Nov 2010 @ 9:48pm

Re: Re: Really?!?
"Any restriction of art regardless of the quality is an act of censorship."

You're inconsistent (and censoring and elitist) by using outdated judgmental terms such as "quality". It's just "art". -- This is my art. Don't judge it, just experience.
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Yeebok (profile), 16 Nov 2010 @ 1:28am

Re: Re: Re: Nice...
Hey, thanks Dark Helmet - the FF7 theme gets stuck in my head even now from the PS1.

As for the remix in question, I think it's excellent. I only discovered it recently for myself and have enjoyed it every time I listen to it. It's no portal end song, but it ain't half bad, and far more interesting than the original.

Looking up FF7 remix in 3.. 2...
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Nov 2010 @ 6:24am

Re: Gorgeous, Gorgeous Bit Of Work
Reefer madness?
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RandomGuy (profile), 16 Nov 2010 @ 9:30am

Re: Really?!?
Exactly. If that was contracted work to Disney, then Disney can do what they like with it.

As much as Pogo may be proud of their work, it's not their call.

At least they're expecting the law suit.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Dec 2010 @ 1:05pm

Pogo is not getting sued
it was released by disney that they are NOT suing pogo, but in fact they even asked him to do some remixes for them.
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Lyn, 21 Apr 2013 @ 6:28am

Pogo is great
Pogo is an artist creating music from film footage for enjoyment, music which I know I could not create and brings a smile to my face. If it is true that Disney are trying to sue I think they are very greedy, it seems injust to me that Disney is trying to sue Pogo when the likes of Topshop get away with blatent ripping off ideas from small companies & individuals. Sometimes the world seems very injust.
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