Re: (OT) Copyright in a Sampled World...

[Caliban Tiresias Darklock <caliban@darklock.com>]

On Thu, 16 Aug 2001 23:49:20 -0700, "Catblack" <catblack@catblack.com>
wrote:

>From what I've read, the
>threat of suing an artist is generally enough to make them pay or not use
>the sample.

I have the distinct benefit of working for lawyers, so in the event I
end up in court, attorney's fees are hardly an issue. The average
musician doesn't have that advantage. From the accounts I've heard, the
average copyright infringement case takes two to five years to resolve
and costs each side about $20,000 a year. So when you go to a guy who's
making chump change and say "look, whether you're guilty or not, we're
going to tie you up in court for several years and cost you about
$60,000 in the bargain" -- well, honestly, what else CAN you do? If I
had to look that hard, cold reality dead in the face, you can bet my
little pet political platform would go to sleep REAL fast.