Running on empty

Urk.  Remember when we told you the GOP was getting lousy IP advice?  It hasn’t gotten better:

Singer, songwriter, liberal activist and now John McCain scourge Jackson Browne filed a lawsuit today against the presumptive GOP nominee and the Republican Party for failing to obtain a license to use one of his songs in a television commercial… This is the second time in a week a celebrity has chastised the McCain camp for allegedly illegally using his or her material. Mike Myers, earlier this week, insisted that the Arizona Republican take down a web ad that … used a “we’re not worthy” clip from his movie Wayne’s World.

And yes, I did just link to Huffington Post (credit to “metoo“).  Having said all this — the copyright claim does seem pretty cut and dried — the high level of detached professionalism in what follows is something else altogether (link added):

Lawrence Iser of the Santa Monica, California law firm Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert said in a press release. “In light of Jackson Browne’s lifelong commitment to Democratic ideals and political candidates, the misappropriation of Jackson Browne’s endorsement is entirely reprehensible, and I have no doubt that a jury will agree.”

“Endorsement”?

“Reprehensible”?

And that’s for John McCain.  Can you imagine if the GOP nominee-apparent were an actual right-winger? That would make copyright infringement genocide, probably.

Well, we don’t know about the suggestion of “endorsement” from a wealthy has-been soft-rock advocate for dependance on foreign oil who evidently trolls the boulevards looking for infringement litigation opportunities, or the scale of human misery that places what is obviously mere negligence or stupidity by someone in the category of “reprehensible” … but it does look like a copyright infringement — by someone.

Originally posted 2008-08-14 18:38:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter