JibJab

[ Adam had showed be this little animation.  Pretty funny.  The assault on 
fair use, however, is not.  -d ]

* JibJab Files Suit to Defend Fair Use Rights

In early July, the two brothers behind a little animation shop
called JibJab released a short flash piece that features
cartoon versions of President Bush and Senator Kerry slinging
insults at each other to the tune of Woody Guthrie's "This Land
Is Your Land."  The short, called "This Land," has been
fantastically popular - but at least one music publishing
company didn't get the joke.  The copyright holder, Ludlow,
Inc., has threatened JibJab and its upstream website hosting
providers with copyright litigation.

"This Land" should qualify as a fair use under copyright law.
JibJab used only a few lines of Guthrie's lyrics.  The short
is also a parody, commenting not only on the 2004 elections,
but also on Woody Guthrie's famous song.  Moreover, Woody
Guthrie didn't compose the melody - it looks like he borrowed
it from the legendary country artists, The Carter Family.

In response to Ludlow's threats, JibJab asked EFF for help to
protect its fair use and free speech rights.  Last week, we
filed a lawsuit on JibJab's behalf, asking a federal court
in San Francisco to declare that the humorous "This Land"
is perfectly legal.  For more on this ongoing fight, check
out the links below and stay tuned to EFF's Deep Links
weblog.

Deep Links post:
<http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/001782.php>

Wired article: "JibJab Asks for Court's Help":
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,64428,00.html>

National Public Radio interview with Arlo Guthrie, folk singer
and son of Woody Guthrie:
<http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3810407>


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