http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3777651&page=1

Please see the article below so you guys can stop saying Prince is attacking this lady. In addtion, Goggle has ads on the site so I think a lot of this has to do with what Universal is seeing as a lost of revenue.

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By JIM AVILA, CHRIS FRANCESCANI and MARY HARRIS
ABC News Law & Justice Unit
Oct. 26, 2007
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Share A bouncing YouTube baby has be-bopped his way right into the legal cross-hairs of the pop star Prince, sparking a lawsuit that could test the boundaries of U.S. copyright law.

Holden Lenz, 18 months old, is the pajama-clad star of a 29-second home movie shot by his mother in the family's rural Pennsylvania kitchen and posted last February on the popular video site YouTube.

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Do You Think Prince is Right?In the video, the child is seen bouncing and swaying for the camera, as, faintly, the Prince hit "Let's Go Crazy" plays on a CD player in the background.

Twenty eight people, mostly friends and family, had viewed the YouTube video by June, when mom Stephanie Lenz said she received an e-mail from YouTube informing her that her video had been removed from the site at the request of Universal Music Publishing Group, the recording industry's largest label, and warning her that future copyright infringements on her part could force the Web site to cancel her account.


'Frightened, Then Angry'


"All of my [YouTube] videos are home videos, so I thought it was some kind of scam,'' Lenz told ABC News' Law & Justice Unit. When she realized YouTube had actually taken her video down, she said she was shocked.

"At first it frightened me, because I saw who had filed'' the takedown notice, she said.

"It was Universal Music Publishing Group, and I was afraid that ... they might come after me. ... And the more afraid I got, the angrier I got. ... I was afraid that the recording industry might come after me the way they've come after other people for downloading music or file sharing.

"I thought even though I didn't do anything wrong that they might want to file some kind of suit against me, take my house, come after me.

"And I didn't like feeling afraid,'' she continued. "I didn't like feeling that I could get in trouble for something as simple as posting a home video for my friends and family to see."

Photos
EXCESS HOLLYWOOD: Musician MeltdownsLenz filed a "counter-notice" with YouTube, and the Web site put her video back up about six weeks later.


What Constitutes a Ripoff of an Artist's Work?

But Lenz was angry, and she said she wasn't ready to let it go.

She contacted a leading cyber rights legal organization called the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and filed a civil lawsuit against the music publisher, claiming they were abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by sending out reams of what are known in the industry as "take down notices" to Web sites like YouTube, claiming their artists' copyrights had been infringed upon -- when in fact, sometimes they may not have been at all.


The Home Video Prince Doesn't Want You to See
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I already Knew this but the Haters will be still adament that Prince was behind it, they wouldnt dream of another company is behind it considering they look after his Publishing Rights.

cream72 said:

So, it's not Prince, just a company using his name and image to conduct a lawsuit, right? And he has no problem with that, so it's okay? But it's not okay if fans use his name or image, right?

So, it's not Prince, just a company using his name and image to conduct a lawsuit, right? And he has no problem with that, so it's okay? But it's not okay if fans use his name or image, right?

Efan said:

Did i say it was right or wrong, nope i just said Universal looks after his Publishing Rights therefore they are responsible for the action do you really think they run to Prince everytime they find something Infringing his Copyright, I some how wouldnt think so. As for the Images and Fan sites i dont really Know whos behind it Cause i have not heard both sides.

Efan said:

Conduct a lawsuit? The only lawsuit in the article is the one filed by her.

Did i say it was right or wrong

do you really think they run to Prince everytime they find something Infringing his Copyright, I some how wouldnt think so. As for the Images and Fan sites i dont really Know whos behind it Cause i have not heard both sides.

We "haters" have already seen the article! I find it laughable that you neglected to finish reading it before trying to reprimand us for what we say.

Page 2- Note the bolded parts

http://abcnews.go.com/The...651&page=2



Source: Prince 'Scours the Internet' Looking for Violations

For it's part, Universal said it was simply acting at the behest of one of its top artists.

"Prince believes it is wrong for YouTube, or any user-generated site, to appropriate his music without his consent,'' the company said in a statement released to ABC News Thursday. "That position has nothing to do with any particular video that uses his songs. It's simply a matter of principle. And legally, he has the right to have his music removed. We support him and this important principle. That is why, over the last few months, we have asked YouTube to remove thousands of different videos that use Prince music without his permission."

A well-placed source directly involved in the situation confirmed to ABC News that Prince was directly involved in seeking the takedown of Lenz's video.

"This guy scours the Internet,'' the source said of the legendary artist, who once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and wrote the word "Slave'" on his cheek until he won back the rights to his music from another publishing company.

"He's really intense about this stuff," the source said, adding that Lenz's video "happened to be one of many'' that artist apparently located online and demanded be taken down.

A publicist for Prince directed ABC News to the artist's personal assistant's cell phone. The assistant did not return a call for comment.

Efan said:

Conduct a lawsuit? The only lawsuit in the article is the one filed by her.

We "haters" have already seen the article! I find it laughable that you neglected to finish reading it before trying to reprimand us for what we say.

Page 2- Note the bolded parts

http://abcnews.go.com/The...651&page=2



Source: Prince 'Scours the Internet' Looking for Violations

For it's part, Universal said it was simply acting at the behest of one of its top artists.

"Prince believes it is wrong for YouTube, or any user-generated site, to appropriate his music without his consent,'' the company said in a statement released to ABC News Thursday. "That position has nothing to do with any particular video that uses his songs. It's simply a matter of principle. And legally, he has the right to have his music removed. We support him and this important principle. That is why, over the last few months, we have asked YouTube to remove thousands of different videos that use Prince music without his permission."

A well-placed source directly involved in the situation confirmed to ABC News that Prince was directly involved in seeking the takedown of Lenz's video.

"This guy scours the Internet,'' the source said of the legendary artist, who once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and wrote the word "Slave'" on his cheek until he won back the rights to his music from another publishing company.

"He's really intense about this stuff," the source said, adding that Lenz's video "happened to be one of many'' that artist apparently located online and demanded be taken down.

A publicist for Prince directed ABC News to the artist's personal assistant's cell phone. The assistant did not return a call for comment.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

You are such a HATER, How Dare you go looking and find the TRUTH. HATER HATER HATER.

Did i say it was right or wrong

Will you say it now? Is it right or wrong?

We "haters" have already seen the article! I find it laughable that you neglected to finish reading it before trying to reprimand us for what we say.

Page 2- Note the bolded parts

http://abcnews.go.com/The...651&page=2



Source: Prince 'Scours the Internet' Looking for Violations

For it's part, Universal said it was simply acting at the behest of one of its top artists.

"Prince believes it is wrong for YouTube, or any user-generated site, to appropriate his music without his consent,'' the company said in a statement released to ABC News Thursday. "That position has nothing to do with any particular video that uses his songs. It's simply a matter of principle. And legally, he has the right to have his music removed. We support him and this important principle. That is why, over the last few months, we have asked YouTube to remove thousands of different videos that use Prince music without his permission."

A well-placed source directly involved in the situation confirmed to ABC News that Prince was directly involved in seeking the takedown of Lenz's video.

"This guy scours the Internet,'' the source said of the legendary artist, who once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and wrote the word "Slave'" on his cheek until he won back the rights to his music from another publishing company.

"He's really intense about this stuff," the source said, adding that Lenz's video "happened to be one of many'' that artist apparently located online and demanded be taken down.

A publicist for Prince directed ABC News to the artist's personal assistant's cell phone. The assistant did not return a call for comment.

We "haters" have already seen the article! I find it laughable that you neglected to finish reading it before trying to reprimand us for what we say.

Page 2- Note the bolded parts

http://abcnews.go.com/The...651&page=2



Source: Prince 'Scours the Internet' Looking for Violations

For it's part, Universal said it was simply acting at the behest of one of its top artists.

"Prince believes it is wrong for YouTube, or any user-generated site, to appropriate his music without his consent,'' the company said in a statement released to ABC News Thursday. "That position has nothing to do with any particular video that uses his songs. It's simply a matter of principle. And legally, he has the right to have his music removed. We support him and this important principle. That is why, over the last few months, we have asked YouTube to remove thousands of different videos that use Prince music without his permission."

A well-placed source directly involved in the situation confirmed to ABC News that Prince was directly involved in seeking the takedown of Lenz's video.

"This guy scours the Internet,'' the source said of the legendary artist, who once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and wrote the word "Slave'" on his cheek until he won back the rights to his music from another publishing company.

"He's really intense about this stuff," the source said, adding that Lenz's video "happened to be one of many'' that artist apparently located online and demanded be taken down.

A publicist for Prince directed ABC News to the artist's personal assistant's cell phone. The assistant did not return a call for comment.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Hold on a second there, "fam".
FIRST of all, the song in question was "When Doves Cry", which is STILL a part of WARNER/CHAPPELL publishing.

Why would Universal give two craps about a song on YouTube that they don't own?

They DON'T.
PRINCE had them send the cease and desist, because that's where his current deal is.

I wish the "fams" would wake up and stop looking for excuses, trying to say that Prince isn't "aware of this".

Prince is a NOTORIOUS control freak. Even the "fams" have to admit that.
IF he didn't know what was going on, HIS RESPONSE TO THE FANS WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A "DISS SONG". It would have been an apology.

I know it's hard for the fans to accept that their hero can be that big of a dick, but it's true. HE IS.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Hold on a second there, "fam".
FIRST of all, the song in question was "When Doves Cry", which is STILL a part of WARNER/CHAPPELL publishing.

Why would Universal give two craps about a song on YouTube that they don't own?

They DON'T.
PRINCE had them send the cease and desist, because that's where his current deal is.

I wish the "fams" would wake up and stop looking for excuses, trying to say that Prince isn't "aware of this".

Prince is a NOTORIOUS control freak. Even the "fams" have to admit that.
IF he didn't know what was going on, HIS RESPONSE TO THE FANS WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A "DISS SONG". It would have been an apology.

I know it's hard for the fans to accept that their hero can be that big of a dick, but it's true. HE IS.

ButterscotchPimp said:

LMAO! I think you quoted the wrong one. I'm the black sheep of the "fam" a.k.a Haterina Haterwitz!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Hold on a second there, "fam".
FIRST of all, the song in question was "When Doves Cry", which is STILL a part of WARNER/CHAPPELL publishing.

Why would Universal give two craps about a song on YouTube that they don't own?

They DON'T.
PRINCE had them send the cease and desist, because that's where his current deal is.

I wish the "fams" would wake up and stop looking for excuses, trying to say that Prince isn't "aware of this".

Prince is a NOTORIOUS control freak. Even the "fams" have to admit that.
IF he didn't know what was going on, HIS RESPONSE TO THE FANS WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A "DISS SONG". It would have been an apology.

I know it's hard for the fans to accept that their hero can be that big of a dick, but it's true. HE IS.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

pwned! Thanks for posting the truth Sexy.

The song is "Let's Go Crazy" which is under Universal Music Group not WB.
In addtion, the source is unknown who is saying P was involved. Officially the letter came from Universal.

I also don't see what difference it makes it P did direct Universal to send the letter because they are supposed to be on top of this type of copyright usage.
Anyway no one is being sued and Universal or Prince is within their rights to ask that the music not be used.

Fans or Fams don't have to like it.

ButterscotchPimp said:

An unnamed source is the truth !!!

coolcat said:

For it's part, Universal said it was simply acting at the behest of one of its top artists.

laurarichardson said:

I stand corrected on the song being "Let's Go Crazy" and not "When Doves Cry", but you're WRONG.

ALL of Prince's songs from the Warner days are STILL OWNED BY WARNER and published through Warner/Chappell.

laurarichardson said:

I stand corrected on the song being "Let's Go Crazy" and not "When Doves Cry", but you're WRONG.

ALL of Prince's songs from the Warner days are STILL OWNED BY WARNER and published through Warner/Chappell.

laurarichardson said:

I stand corrected on the song being "Let's Go Crazy" and not "When Doves Cry", but you're WRONG.

ALL of Prince's songs from the Warner days are STILL OWNED BY WARNER and published through Warner/Chappell.

ButterscotchPimp said:

Wait a second.
I just looked it up, and I STAND CORRECTED.

Apparently, i was wrong.
Looks like Prince switched publishing companies back in 2005 when Musicology was released through Universal.

So all of his back catalog is now owned by Universal.
His current deal is through Sony/BMG.

Never say i'm not man enough to admit when i'm wrong. About the facts.

The point remains, that it's not Universal that's sitting there and scouring the internet for background music on YouTube and sending cease and desist letters. Publishing companies don't have time for that.

That's all Prince.