Re: [Harp-L] ASCAP Lawsuits

[joe leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The whole logic behind these people puzzles me. If one were to use  
their logic all the time, that would mean that any home or apartment  
building that I wired contains MY intellectual talent. After all I  
DID train for that. Therefore every time that electric is put through  
MY work, I should get a cut. Or, at the very least, each time the  
building is sold. I should get a cut.

Every time I eat, I should pay the dentist that made my teeth. After  
all, they contain HIS intellectual property. After all, he went to  
school many years to learn his craft.

Every time I go to the bathroom, I should pay the doctor who fixed my  
axx, so that it would work properly.

So,  someone burps some thoughts out of their head and happen to  
write it down on paper. It's not like they came up with polio vaccine.

Now, look, I am not against a person making out on something they  
came up with, but there should be a limit. As I see it, there are  
cases where this 'so called' intellectual property brings in profits  
for an inordinate number of years. Once you die, your insurance  
stops. So howsa come with music, even a surviving spouse collects.  
Even a NEXT generation.

If a person isn't satisfied with earning off the same tune for (say)  
16 years, I have an answer for them. "Write more tunes". Jeez, even a  
patent, a LIFE changing patent, doesn't last as long as song copyrights.

The shame IS that I (personally) think that it's the PUBLISHERS who  
are the greedy ones. The song writers probably get a pittance. They  
got conned into joining an outfit that was purporting to defend them,  
while it is THEY who are raking in the profits.
Look at what happened to Billy Joel.

Wednesday's child.