Archive includes claims involving Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, George Harrison and Andrew Lloyd Webber
-By Gilien Silsby
The Music Copyright Infringement Resource, a meticulously curated online archive of hundreds of music copyright infringement cases, is moving to USC Gould School of Law.
The project offers complete summaries of famous and under-the-radar music copyright infringement cases dating back to 1845, including claims leveled against Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, George Harrison and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The multimedia collection allows visitors to play disputed songs to hear similarities – or dissimilarities - for themselves. They may also compare music scores of disputed works, and view clips of films, television shows, and advertisements at the center of lawsuits.
“USC Gould is honored to sponsor the Music Copyright Infringement Project,” said Jonathan Barnett, academic director of USC Gould’s Entertainment and Media Law Program. “This is an absolute treasure trove and further cements our reputation in entertainment and intellectual property law.”
Most music copyright disputes rarely go to trial, and even fewer generate published judicial opinions, making the project a valuable resource for attorneys, scholars, journalists, law students, artists and others.
“No matter how old or offbeat the dispute, the cases come to life through direct contact with the music,” said Charles Cronin, founder of the Music Copyright Infringement Resource, which was initially based at Columbia Law School and subsequently housed at UCLA School of Law. “I believe that at this point our collection comprises nearly every U.S. music copyright decision. We continue to update the site with new cases as they arise.”
For example, the high-profile 2012 claim by the “Black Keys” against Home Depot is on the site, along with such obscure cases as the 1941 claim against Disney over “Some Day My Prince Will Come” in the film classic “Snow White. “
The project has recently acquired small collections of British and Asian cases and is initiating an online public forum for discussion of new music infringement claims involving well-known performers in the United States and across the globe.
Cronin came up with the idea for the project as a graduate student at UC Berkeley. He was writing a law review note on copyright matters when he heard about the case of Selle v. Gibb, centered on the song "How Deep Is Your Love” from the 1977 John Travolta movie, “Saturday Night Fever.”
In that case, a garage band musician claimed the song by the Bee Gees was strikingly similar to his earlier song “Let It End.”
“I wanted to get a copy of ‘Let It End’ to evaluate the claim myself, but it was surprisingly difficult to do so,” Cronin said. “I realized that there was a real need for a publicly accessible resource like this, particularly for those studying cases dating from pre-digital eras.”
For the past fifteen years Cronin has developed and expanded the collection, which is the only one of its kind. Law students, music students, librarians and IT staff members at Columbia, UCLA, and USC have participated in developing the project.
Now that the database is at USC Gould, Cronin will continue to manage the site as a member of the law school’s adjunct faculty. He hopes the USC community, including the music, business, and cinema schools and libraries – will use and benefit from the site.
“Given USC Gould’s eminence in IP and entertainment law, as well as USC’s excellence in music and cinema, I’m delighted that the project is among such supportive and illustrious company,” said Cronin.
The project may be accessed at: http://mcir.usc.edu
A lunchtime presentation on the project will be held on April 9 from 12:25 – 1:15 at USC Gould. Lunch will be served. For more information and to RSVP, please email Scott Oranburg at [email protected]
Previous Article
