Oldies sue Wolfgang’s Vault
p2pnet.net News:- The not-so-golden oldies are at it again.
Sir Paul and Sir Cliff were among others (including dead people) who signed a Financial Times advertisement suggesting UK copyright time-outs should reach almost into the next century.
Now what The Independent calls a ” group of rock ‘n’ roll’s elder statesmen” are attacking a site that sells music memorabilia and rare recordings, “claiming they never gave permission for the items to be sold”.
It doesn’t say anything about Sir Cliff or Sir Paul, but the “greying musicians” do include Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Carlos Santana and members of the Doors and the Grateful Dead.
They’re among those who’ve, “filed a lawsuit against William Sagan, owner of Wolfgang’s Vault, an online site that offers thousands of streaming audio and music performances collected over more than 30 years,” says the story.
“We have never given permission for our images and material to be used in this way,” it has Bob Weir, a guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, saying in a statement. “What Sagan is doing is stealing. He is stealing what is most important to us – our work, our images and our music – and is profiting from the goodwill of our fans.”
San Francisco-based Wolfgang’s Vault, “sells material Sagan obtained after purchasing assets of concert promoter Bill Graham, who died in a helicopter crash in 1991,” says NME. “According to the lawsuit, Graham’s holdings included concert posters, shirts, photographs and recordings.”
The complaint, filed in San Francisco, “claims that the memorabilia sales and streaming of performance footage are clear exploitations of the intellectual property and artistic success of the plaintiffs, who are described in the suit as ‘among the most legendary recording and performing artists of all time’,” says The Los Angeles Times.
“The sales of items have continued despite ‘repeated demands’ by the artists that the company stop, the suit alleges.The lawsuit names as defendant William E. Sagan, the former head of a Minnesota healthcare company who became a rock entrepreneur when, for about $6 million, he acquired a warehouse piled high with Graham’s relics. Born Wolfgang Grajonca in Germany, Graham died in 1991 in a helicopter accident. Since then, the trove changed hands several times before Sagan got it.”
So if you were planning on selling Jimmy Page’s autograph on eBay, better forget it.
Meanwhile, will Sagan now the “repeated demands” among the other itmes he’s selling?
Stay tuned ;p
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Also See:
copyright time-outs – Gower report: jail file sharers, December 8, 2006.
The Independent – Led Zeppelin and Doors to sue ‘bootleg’ memorabilia website, December 20, 2006
NME – Led Zeppelin sue memorabilia site, December 19, 2006
The Los Angeles Times – Rockers sue over sales of memorabilia, December 19, 2006
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December 20th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
rock ‘n’ roll’s elder dirtbags is more like it
December 20th, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Did you notice? All of these people are members of the RIAA. Makes one wonder if the RIAA is funding this lawsuit as part if its “sue ‘em all” campaign. Something to think about?………………
December 20th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
wot a NASTY suspicious mind you have!!!
December 20th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
“wot” a NAIVE mind YOU have!!!
BTW: it’s “What”, NOT ‘wot’… learn do spell!