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Anti-Obama Group Steals Copyrighted Images
Well, things keep getting interesting. It turns out that the American Issues Project, funded by billionaire McCain fundraiser Howard Simmons, is using copyrighted images owned by a 501c3.
The group, the Free History Project, sent a cease and desist letter to the right-wing group which is broadcasting in Michigan and Ohio. See their letter below.
August 25, 2008
VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS
American Issues Project
301 West Platt Street, Suite #353
Tampa, Florida 33606Re: Advertisement Entitled “Know Enough?”
To Whom it May Concern:
Keker & Van Nest represents The Free History Project, which owns the copyright on the documentary film The Weather Underground, directed by Sam Green, co-directed by Bill Siegel, and produced by Carrie Lozano.
It has come to our attention that you have made unauthorized use of material from The Weather Underground in your television advertisement entitled “Know Enough?” (“the advertisement”), directly infringing The Free History Project’s copyright in the film. For instance, without requesting permission to do so, you took footage of William Ayers from The Weather Underground and used it in the advertisement. You have thus willfully violated The Free History Project’s intellectual property rights.
As counsel for The Free History Project, I request that you immediately: (1) remove the advertisement from any television station, cable network, or other media outlet where it is currently running; (2) remove the advertisement from the American Issues Project’s website (www.americanissuesproject.org); (3) cease and desist from any and all further distribution of the advertisement or any other work derived from The Weather Underground; (4) cease and desist from any and all further infringement of The Free History Project’s copyright; and (5) deliver to Keker & Van Nest—or destroy—all copies of the advertisement or any other work derived from The Weather Underground.
These demands are made without waiver of the other remedies available to The Free History Project for your copyright infringement. Please also be aware that we intend to notify television stations and cable providers in Ohio and Michigan (where, we understand, the advertisement is running) of our objection to your use of our copyrighted material.
I look forward to a prompt confirmation that you will cease your infringing conduct immediately. However, if you continue to infringe The Free History Project’s copyright, we will pursue all available legal remedies.
Very truly yours,
JOHN W. KEKER
Download a PDF of the letter. Read their press release.
For those of you unfamiliar, John W. Keker is a serious lawyer with a record as a prosecutor and a litigator. In layman's terms: he's a bad ass. Those TV stations should look out.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| ltrtoAIP.pdf | 38.17 KB |
| pressrelease.pdf | 74.12 KB |
Can we please make a parody of this ad?:
Begin Script:
(ad is put together exactly as th Ayers attack ad is with some imagery of Robert E. Lee as a slave owner sprinkled in)
"Beyond the speeches , what do we really know about John McCain? What does he really believe? Consider this, Flight 93 never hit the Capitol, but in the 1860’s our nation's Capital was repeatedly attacked by a hostile group of radicals calling themselves the Confederates. A group that declared war on the U.S., killing countless American citizens. Their leader, Robert E. Lee. A man that John McCain honors every year on his birthday with other members of the Alfalfa Club, an exclusive Washington, D.C. club for the rich and powerful whose sole purpose is to hold an annual banquet each January to memorialize Robert E. Lee. Why would McCain celebrate someone who attacked the United States, killed American citizens and was a slave owner? Some members of the Confederates even went so far as to kill the American President? Do you know enough to elect, John McCain?"
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee#Lee_as_a_slaveholder
http://www.nndb.com/org/692/000051539/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa_Club
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