New Zealand political party hit with copyright infringement lawsuit

With election season approaching, campaign commercials will be making the rounds. Often, such commercials contain music or media that may have been created by a party other than the one responsible for crafting the commercial. As such it is necessary that businesses responsible for creating works that draw upon the works of others receive the necessary permissions before doing so. 

Copyright infringement is not always confined within the borders of a particular country, as New Zealand has recently been finding out. According to an article in the International Business Times, the publishing company of U.S. rapper Eminem is suing the New Zealand National Party. The reason? A campaign television commercial used the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" without first obtaining the proper permission.  

According to the Associated Press, the National Party claims it did not participate in infringement, saying in a statement that a different publishing company, Spider Cues Music, had originally published and sold the music. Although the National Party decided to stop using the music, the publishing companies Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated are "not satisfied," the source reports. 

"It is both disappointing and sadly ironic that the political party responsible for championing the rights of music publishers in New Zealand … should itself have so little regard for copyright," Martin told the Associated Press. "We do not hesitate to take immediate action to protect the integrity of Eminem's works."

This case highlights the importance of knowing how intellectual property law affects your business. Whether your company is making use of the intellectual property of another party, or the other way around, knowing how to obtain the proper legal protections and permissions can help safeguard your business against costly litigation. Contact a Phoenix small business attorney to learn more. 

Categorised in: International Business Law

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