This isn't about protecting his work anymore. Prince is simply turning into a weird, bitter old grump. The older he gets, the more pronounced his control- issues.
This has "midlife-crisis" written all over it, (so does his new CD by the way)!!!
Can't you tell people? Prince is turning 50 next year and that is hard to take even for someone who doesn't celebrate his birthdays anymore.
At an age where other men have families and look forward to have grand-kids, Prince is starting all over again and probably feels a little pressed for time.
His deceitful young looks and all the botox, and plastic surgery can't change the facts.
The man has lost both parents, is not on best terms with the remaining family members and most importantly has no children to pass his legacy on.
This is very lonely place to be and people can become desperate and do desperate things.

Don't worry, he'll get over it the moment he marries the next beautiful Lolita.
Young women always seemed Prince's way of self-medication and the answers to his problems. At least for a little while until he gets bored with them.
Lolita will hopefully have the power to get him out of the funk he is in right now, and make him feel validated enough to mellow out a bit. Then he will be able to focus on other things in stead of alienating his fans.

Genesia said:

IMO this woman knew exactly what she was doing. She knew about copyright infringment...she wants to make some quick money by trying to sue Prince. I hope it all backfires on her ass, especially for using her own child. Think about this clearly. Why didn't she just video her own damn self dancing to the song? She had a plan in mind. Fans/folks on this thread need to leave Prince tfa. He is doing just what u or I would do.

GiGi319 said:

4bjb said:

I missed that part in the article where she said she was going to sue Prince...

[quote]

Genesia said:

"Victim" is a little strong but I agree with this 100%

First of all, I have two major issues about this. One, the public is entitled to fair use of copyrighted materials, which usually extends to non-commercial use of an artist's work. The woman made a video of her toddler dancing to one of Prince's songs, and she posted the video on YouTube for friends and family to see. She is clearly not attempting to profit from Prince's music.

Now the gray area here has to do with non-commercial use of music. The woman is not profiting from posting a video on YouTube with Prince's music on it, but YouTube and parent company Google are profiting from it based on the ads they post on the site. Now it would appear to me that they should be going after Google and not harassing this poor woman. I think there is some kind of legal precedent about non-infringing uses of copyrighted material based on cases in the 1990's of home videos which were submitted to America's Funniest Home Videos and similar shows. Now if Prince was sending a cease and desist order to YouTube to either pay royalties or take the video offline, then YouTube should have either paid the fee or gave the woman a better explanation of why her video was being taken offline (Prince is a greedy bastard and despite the fact that we are a $200 billion dollar corporation, we're too cheap to pay royalties, etc.).

Second, this action was brought about by Universal Music Group. Since when did Universal control Prince's music from the 1980's? I thought Warner Music Group still owned the publishing rights to Prince's music from the 1980's. If this is still the case, then they don't even have a right to send any cease and desist order, because they are not a party to this case. Now it could be the case that Warners actually sent the cease and desist order, and that ABC screwed up by mentioning Universal instead, but if this is not the case, then Universal needs to step away from this matter.

GiGi319 said:

Very interesting perpective.

I very much agree with you that Prince is having a midlife crisis. That he has lost both parents, and may I add been through two divorces, Lost a child, and been through alot we dont know in his personal life. I also agree that botox can be a middle aged persons best friend..but I really dont see any thing from looking at his face that he's gone under the knife.

I really don't think a lolita (young girl or woman for that matter) is gonna save him. He's been single for a while now and I think he knows that life dries up and fails after a while. I truley think that Prince is the kind of man that gets anxious when he's held down for too long (Dont care how beautiful the girl is). Therefore another marriage/serious relationship -could hurt him right now.I think he needs to go back to his beliefs..get off the tours, get out of the public eye for a month or so and find his center again.

His actions of his are showing that he is truley fatuiged :mind, body and soul. I think its time Princey takes a vacation and I hopfully he will get refreshed and come to a place of peace in the process.

728huey said:

Very enlightning..Thanks for posting that. U must be in the buisness of law! Or maybe u can put two and two together very well. But u broke it down the way it should have been for people who couldnt totally understand all the hype at the begining.

He's probably mad because it wasn't his baby.
"I have a child, I have a lot to explain..."

'dre
[Edited 10/29/07 18:23pm]

yes this really upsets me all this bull i wish all would just leave prince alone and let him live his life in peace,joy and happeness this is a man that is so good talent,cute,play everything,has great music,looks,and think people are just jealous of prince trying so hard to mess him up but i know prince is strong and can bare this stuff and go on playing,singing,recording,artis,and makeing his on movie keep up the good work prince love you.people just love to talk to me to much god bless.

DreZone said:

Even though I'm pissed at Prince , right now and understand the sentiment from where it came...that comment was still a low ass blow and uncalled for!

Be mad at Prince all you like but there's no need to be hurtful!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Thankyou!! Yeah that was TOO harsh. I was gonna throw a brick but U did it for me! Matter o' fact N/M

DreZone said:

where u been at

728huey said:

damn, i ain't got time to keep reading this thread anymore.

but i just wanna say you make an interesting point above about the diff
between Universal & Warner Bros. for the "Let's Go Crazy" rights.
that is quite curious.

in conclusion, i don't think this is about money on Prince's side.
i do think it's about artistic control now & in the future.
his actions & statements over the years have shown how highly he values
his & others' rights to their Intellectual Property.
this particular incident shows shrewdness, eccentricity, burn-out (perhaps),
boredom & loneliness (perhaps).

he is widely known as a man who trusts few & uses many.
personally, i think the dude is overdue for a spiritual awakening.

instead of the Org "Goin' Crazy" over this, i suggest Prince immediately rectify this situation by
re-releasing the song as "Let's Get a Life" w/Virgin records on his own & our behalf,
thus amending the situation & retaining his "Idol/Hero/Genius" status.

now can we all go home and eat our Wheaties tomorrow morning

Giovanni777 said:

Agreed. And with that being said..... does Prince know what the hell these people are up to? Do they report to him? Does he get some sort of inkling that it's affecting his fanbase??

Who has control here Prince or the "hired help"??

GoldiLocks said:

*Laughs at "lets get a life* Your in this boat with us!

Now U know that many people are taking frustration/anger/personal issues out on this thread. I have made my statements/points...but I think it is entertaining to speed read through what others are saying..and how far they go...So yes tommorow I will have breakfast but it wont be wheaties honey!

luv4u said:[quote]

Giovanni777 said:

Agreed. And with that being said..... does Prince know what the hell these people are up to? Do they report to him? Does he get some sort of inkling that it's affecting his fanbase??

Who has control here Prince or the "hired help"??[/quote]

Interesting point..Never thought of it like that. But he does have to give it "yay or nay" when they propose something to him.
[Edited 10/29/07 19:52pm]

Prince should have every right to control what is out there, weather it is about a baby dancing that people might think is irrelevant or not, it is his music, his lyrics that are being put out there, his decision, and every true Prince fan should be defending him in his honor and of his choices, lol!

Oh lord! Maybe Prince is looking in the wrong places, he should also sue mexican television company "Televisa" for using the intro to the song "We March" everytime a "telenovela" starts....

Proof follow youtube link

http://www.youtube.com/wa...y9WOP0PXUg
[Edited 10/29/07 21:22pm]

From Wikipedia on "Fair Use"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

2. the nature of the copyrighted work;

3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

You can read more deatil and exmaples on the site, but basically it seems pretty clear this video of the baby would fall under fair use:

1. The purpose and nature was non-commerical, not for profit etc.

2. (this deals with transformative vs. dertivative ...e.g. a parody is not covered by copyright law and is fair use as oppose to just copying). not sure it's relevant here.

3. I believe the video was only 29 seconds of the song

4. It is reasonable to assume this video would have no effect on the potential market for the song "Let's Go Crazy".

Seems like Universal will lose if it goes to court.

planetearthsucks said:

XxAxX said:

If he doesn't want his "art" or "music" used in ways he may not unequivocally approve of then he should have never released it. Once "art" is in the public realm the artist has to relinquish some control over the way it is presented/used. Not necessarily all control, but some...that's the nature of making things public. You rarely (ever?) hear of visual artists bitching about parodies of their works being appropriated for other things or if it's exhibited in a museum next to something they don't like.

I am not advocating that people should be able to do whatever the fuck they want with Prince's art (music), and I do understand and respect Prince's rights as the artist...BUT in this particular situation I think he is overreacting. It's a measley 29 second clip of a kid dancing with LGC in the background, ffs. I believe it's fair use. It's not like the Playboy channel appropriated a Muzak version of Head for a Playmate video or Al-Quaida posted the boot (R U Gonna Go My Way?) with the Osama bin Laden song on their website...

I think Prince struggles between being the quintessential artist who (wants people to think/claims he) cares only about making art (music) for himself and the reality that he has to publicize his art in order to make a living. Even Michelangelo didn't like the Pope telling him what to do, but he needed to earn a living.

christos7 said:

Nirvana is considered punk because grunge was considered an amalgam of punk and metal. Nirvana was also the subject of a celebrated indie film entitled "1991: The Year Punk Broke".

So, an unnamed "well plced source" says prince was involved? Well then it must be true. Noone ever misrepresents the facts in the entertainment business. Do you really believe that Prince has time to sit and "scour" the internet? Please.If he's guilty of anything it's letting others make all of these kinds of decisions for him. If that's what happened.Prince seems to be a nicer, more open person than he use to, so I find it hard to believe that the guy who thought the Prince Sphagetti comercial back in the 80's was cute would want a home video of a baby pulled from the internet.

All i can say is that i hope that this is Prince's doin (i think it is) and not some lecky on his behalf. If not u must question the motivation 4 such action.

Heiress said:

How am I doing this? Prince spouts the bible, in the bible it quite clearly states that you should love your fellow man the way you would wish to be loved. Prince doesn't do it. That is a fact and quite how this benefits me is something else I don't understand and as for this being about me, where did that come from?

I know I'm fighting a losing battle because I was once as blinkered as you are as regards Prince.

As for those saying Prince has the right to distribute his music how he wishes well yes, of course he does according to law. But in terms of morality (something else Prince thinks he has the higher ground on these days), this case only proves that he is a hypocrite.

Oh and irony, as I've said already in this thread I'm English. If there's one thing we do understand in abundance it is the use of irony and sarchasm. Naivity is something often associated with the US of A. After all, what sort of country would vote George Bush into power twice?

Note 2 mother of said child.. Perhaps something by The Wiggles may've been a lil less self centred..

Let's go carzy...pls

NPGoperata said:

J'habite en France, mon petit bifstek.

Admit that you're just looking after your own interests, and couldn't care less about whether or not he or anyone else loves their neighbor - come on!

NPGoperata said:

Great post BUT george bush wasn't elected; he was selected

Let's just for a moment pretend every home video on youtube was a work of art. Let's compare them with - let's say - Andy Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe. What if Marilyn (or whoever took care of her rights after her death) sued Warhol?

Prince is pop culture. To use pop culture to create new art is common and legitimate. Everything else would be a violation of the freedom of arts. This whole thing looks like companies establishing some censorship. What do you think?

Prince has taken this to the extreme.What's he gonna do next?