Fox Goes After Republican Presidential Candidates For Online Copyright Violations Over Debate Footage

from the fair-use-be-damned! dept

Earlier this month, we wondered if Fox was going to sue some Republican Congressional Representatives, after they used Simpsons characters in an awful parody press release. A Fox spokesperson claimed it was a violation of copyright, but it seemed unlikely that Fox would actually do anything about it. However, in a somewhat similar issue, it looks like Fox is actually going after Republican candidates for using Fox debate footage on their websites. Apparently, Fox first targeted just John McCain for using debate footage, but after being called out on not treating to the other candidates fairly, sent cease-and-desist letters to all candidates using Fox footage. What would be interesting is if any of the candidates decides to challenge Fox on this one. The specific letter that was sent to McCain apparently demanded that he not use any Fox material on his website -- and that raises questions about whether or not McCain actually needs Fox's permission, as what he's doing could be considered fair use. It could make for an interesting legal challenge -- but somehow it seems unlikely that any of the presidential candidates wants to get wrapped up in a legal battle over fair use right now.

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