Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Running on Copyright Infringement
Jackson Browne filed suit against John McCain, the RNC, and the Ohio National Republican Committee for using "Running on Empty" in an Obama attack ad without the artist's permission. Browne, a liberal, objected to the ad and the Ohio Republicans say they pulled it right away so they don't understand what all the fuss is about. Duh, guys, it's called politics. Oh right, and copyright law, something which McCain explicitly promises to protect from nasty pirates in his Technology Policy statement.
From Wired:
From the According to a lawsuit filed by Browne in US District Court in Los Angeles, the Ohio Republican Party, the GOP and McCain himself are responsible for two illegal acts: infringing on Browne's copyright and creating the false impression that Browne had endorsed John McCain.
From the AP:
Robert Bennett, chairman of the Ohio party, said the ad was pulled when Browne objected. He called the lawsuit a "big to-do about nothing."
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers disavowed the ad, saying it wasn't a product of the Republican presidential candidate's campaign.
Browne's lawsuit contends the Ohio Republican party released the ad on behalf of McCain and the RNC. The RNC did not return a phone call seeking comment.
The suit notes that other musicians, including ABBA and John Cougar Mellencamp, have asked McCain to stop using their work.
<p/>
The funny thing to me about the ABBA mention is that according to a recent Blender article, McCain has 2 ABBA songs in his top 10: "Dancing Queen" and "Take A Chance On Me." You can choose your friends but you can't choose your fans, I suppose.<p/>
While we're on the subject of copyrights, here's a vid of Jackson Browne performing the song live (since I can't find the ad online):