As students, amateur videographers, new filmmakers, etc. it’s
easy to fall into the trap of using someone else’s copyrighted material without
permission. There’s video, photos, and music that work perfectly with your
portfolio or project, but you can't just steal them. Unfortunately it’s easy to utilize someone else works, and plagiarize
them. Even celebrities have fallen into that trap. Shia LaBeouf, known for Transformers, Disturbia, Eagle Eye, has
recently plagiarized work from one of Daniel Clowes’ comics. Not only did
LaBeouf originally plagiarize Clowes, but also the multiple apologies were also
plagiarized. According to theguardian.com
LaBeouf went as far a hiring a skywriter to blowing up social media. LaBeouf
has also used a Texas politicians words (quote) from a debate, and Kanye West’s
apology to Taylor Swift as apologies towards Clowes. It’s quite outrageous how
far this has gotten out of control. I’m not sure what exactly LaBeouf is trying
to accomplish, but he’s definitely spiraling out of control. According to theguardian.com
article he’s “the most messed-up former Disney star”. I’m not sure if these
young Disney stars have something to prove by demolishing any ties with their
former Disney days, or what? (That’s a whole other discussion.) I definitely
think that LaBeouf is only getting himself into further legal troubles by
consistently plagiarizing, even if it is only copy and pasting a twitter feed.
(That’s why there’s a retweet button, right?) It would be wise for LaBeouf to
filter things through his manager, before going out and saying things on his
own.
On the other end of the spectrum are Bradley Cooper and Liam
Neeson. They are suing Vutec Corporations. According to eonline.com
a lawsuit has been filed towards these home theater companies because they are
using Cooper and Neeson’s photos without their permission. There are tons of
celebrity endorsements; sometimes the celebrity doesn’t even receive monetary
payment, but they get product payment. According to business.time.com
an article by Brad Tuttle “There’s no mystery as to why companies give away
swag during the Oscars to people in the movie business. The possibility that a
celebrity will Tweet about the product or perhaps be photographed with it more
than offsets the cost of giving goods away.” This almost seems like a no
brainer for a company to get permission before violating privacy rights. At the
very least they may just have to come off some of their products. I’m not an
accountant, but I’m sure there’s some type of tax break for giving away
freebies. When in doubt it would always be wise to contact the manager/agent of
a celebrity before using them for endorsements.
Just a few days ago according to thewrap.com
Fullscreen settled their lawsuit for copyright infringement with the NMPA
(National Music Publishers’ Association). An article from tubefilter.com
also stated that the deal requires that the music videos will have to either be
removed or licensed. I have to agree with the NMPA on this one, it is their
responsibility on behalf of their songwriters and publishers to take on legal
issues like this. It’s not fair for artists to be ripped off. It’s their art,
work, livelihood, and they should be properly compensated as well as given the
credit for it.
I’m glad that there are Associations, Guilds, and Unions
that are there to protect the artists and workers. Most of these organization
have representatives, legal advisers, agents, etc. that are in place to help
the member.
A good rule of thumb, when in doubt, seek out legal advice.
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