Mike Baird, Premier Of New South Wales, Has Video Of Him Reading Mean Tweets Taken Down Because REM
from the everybody-hurts dept
REM's music has found itself at the center of copyright disputes in the past, but those instances have mostly occurred in the more traditional sorts of disputes, such as accusations that one band copied another band and blah blah blah. It's part of a series of stories that are old, tired, and contrary to the way popular culture works these days, but at least they contain a shadow of relevance to the original purposes of copyright. However, this time what is on display is the result of a culture of permission run amok, as an Australian politician had his video reading mean tweets about him removed because an REM song was playing in the background.
On Thursday, Baird tweeted a video link of him reading mean tweets, a take-off of US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s popular videos. Everybody Hurts by REM played in the background as Baird read the hate mail, including a tweet that said: “You look like the ‘smiling assassin’. Your charming smile hides your black, Liberal heart.” But by Friday, YouTube had pulled the clip, citing a copyright claim by Warner Chappell, which publishes the US band’s music.Welcome to our world, Mr. Politician, where copyright and the culture of permission have been so twisted into insanely idiotic knots as to remove a funny video under the notion that a portion of an REM song somehow inhibits REM's ability to make new music. Picture, if you will, teleporting the original creators of copyright law into the present, sitting them down at a boardroom table, and having the executives over at Warner Chappell explain to them how the copyright provisions authored so long ago would result in this sort of thing. After those old guys were done accusing you of witchcraft for showing them the video in the first place, there would likely be much head-scratching over how this whole thing could have gotten so misused.
“Mean tweets video removed,” Baird tweeted on Friday. “Working with YouTube and Warner to resolve. Fact: everybody hurts, sometimes.”
One can only hope that having this happen to a politician that deigns to have a personality such as Baird might be the impetus for some kind of reform, even if it's only local reform.
He appeared confused about a tweet that said “The Premier hates Justin Bieber”.Or the current state of the application of copyright, for that matter. Because this kind of thing isn't what copyright was meant to be.
“Yeah, of course I hate Justin Bieber. Who doesn’t hate Justin Bieber?”
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Filed Under: australia, copyright, mike baird, new south wales, political video, rem
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As one of the 'nicer' facists Mr. Baird may even try his hand at running for a Federal seat after his term as NSW Premier as all the other NSW Federal MP's (& the PM Tony Abbott) from his party are really on the nose ATM. So there is a good chance he wil come up against the copyright crowd there, however I'm sure he will roll over like a good puppy dog just like all his Federal mates such as NSW Senator George Brandis who is also the Federal Attorney General & can't act fast enough to implement the laws that help out their political donors such as the media moguls.
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Yes he state Premier
Most likely he will find a formula that enables he to get the video back and simply forget about it, such is the insensitivity of those in positions of power to the rest of humanity.
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Just a thought...
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This isn't true. The Founding Fathers knew damn well how copyright could stifle innovation and be abused. Lest ye forget, they left a country which was abusing the very law they didn't want in the Constitution.
The reality of the situation is much more grim, and definitely reminiscent of today's "lobbying" in that the wealthy, who had power over government, refused to invest in the "New World" unless provisions of copyright and patent were guaranteed.
This withholding of "crucial funds" kept ratification of the revised Constitution from occurring, and it's why the document took years to get all the signatures.
Remember, kids: since we absolutely, positively refuse to learn from history, we're guaranteed to repeat it.
Enjoy those nastygrams from Google. They're not going anywhere anytime in your lifetime, thanks to copyright.
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i have never seen ANY REASONABLE reasons for why -in this moderne age of instant, worldwide communications- it has to not only be MUCH LONGER, but essentially endless...
THE ONLY 'REASON' is money-grubbing by korporate 'persons' who matter more than real people...
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And then he tweeted...
Wilful copyright violation, multiple infringing offences. Ladies and Gentlement, THIS is what a hardened criminal looks like. THIS is why LEOs need armored vehicles and LPR databases, in order to keep us SAFE from criminals like THIS serial offender. Notice the utter lack of remorse, the flagrant and deliberate flaunting of these LAW-BREAKING activities. Triple damages, throw the book, throw away the key. Let this be a lesson to the rest of you crims out there. Hardened criminals WILL BE caught, WILL BE punished, and we NEED laws like these to protect us from terrorists and children. Or something.
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Re: And then he tweeted...
I'm still waiting for his political mates to be presented before a judge for their corrupt behaviour in handling illegal political donations from banned sources through their complex web of Liberal Party owned companies.
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"Yeah, of course I hate Justin Bieber. Who doesn’t hate Justin Bieber?”
Too bad, weepy teen
Oh, what does it mean
To be a diehard Belieber
And not get the guy of your dreams
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