3 Count: Iron Ruling

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1: In Big Ruling, Sony Beats ‘Iron Man’ Composer’s Lawsuit

First off today, Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that Ghostface Killah has won a potentially key ruling against composer Jack Urnbont, who sued the rapper over his sampling of the theme Iron Man Theme from the 1960s show The Marvel Super Heroes, which Urbont composed.

Urbont sued Ghostface Killah and his label, Sony, after the rapper sampled the theme in two tracks on his album Supreme Clientele. Urnbont claimed that the sampling was unlicensed but the judge has dismissed the lawsuit on a summary judgment saying that Urnbont was hired by Marvel to create the song and that it was a “work for hire” that’s owned by Marvel, giving him no standing to sue.

However, Urnbont was not an employee of Marvel at the time he composed the track. Though he was directed to create the track by Stan Lee and was paid for it, he claimed that work for hire did not apply. The judge disagreed setting the stage for a likely appeal, especially considering the connection the case has to other Marvel artists from the era, most notably Jack Kirby. In the meantime, Urnbont has already filed a motion to reconsider.

2: Canada to Extend Artist Copyright to 70 Years

Next up today, Coral Williamson at Music Week repots that the Canadian government has announced it will extend the copyright term on sound recordings from 50 years to 70 years, bringing it up to parity with nations such as the UK and Australia.

The move is being considered as part of the nation’s upcoming budget, which is scheduled to be unveiled soon. The move is widely supported by music groups within the country, including Music Canada.

The United States currently has a copyright term of 95 years for sound recordings.

3: Adult Wednesday Addams Pulled From YouTube Over Copyright

Finally today, in a story I’ve been wanting to cover for a while but haven’t been able to fit in, Christine Linnell at New Media Rockstars reports that the popular YouTube series Adult Wednesday Addams has been pulled down due to a copyright complaint from the Tee & Charles Addams Foundation, a group that represents the heirs of Charles Addams.

The Addams Family began life as a comic strip created by Charles Addams. It would go on to be adapted into a popular TV series and several movies. Adult Wednesday Addams was a series based on the character Wednesday, who is a young child in The Addams Family works, looking at what the character would be like as an adult, featuring shorts putting her in every day situations.

The series had been going on for some time but had gone viral after an episode pitting Wednesday against catcallers became popular on social media. MGM is also planning an animated reboot of The Addams Family, another possible explanation as to why the series came down now.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

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