Podcast: The Beastie Boys v Goldie Blox

Business, Entertainment, Sports & Technology (B.E.S.T.) Law Blog

Podcast: The Beastie Boys v Goldie BloxThis month on the Business Entertainment Sports and Technology Law Podcast, ARC Law Group partner Mark A. Pearson and Podcast Managing Editor Ben Shaw present a special end-of-year podcast discussion about the marketing backlash against one of the hottest toys of the 2013 holiday season. Recently ranked as the top selling toy on Amazon.com, Goldie Blox’ “Goldie Blox and The Spinning Machine” saw a big surge is sales following the release, and subsequent controversy, of an online video featuring a reworking of the 1987 Beastie Boys hit song “Girls”.Did Goldie Blox commit indefensible copyright infringement by using “Girls” without permission? Are the Beastie Boys being hypocritical by disputing the use of their song? We try and answer these questions as well as give you a look into the issue of Fair Use and Parody as a defense to copyright infringement.Let us know what you think about this issue by posting a comment on this blog or by visiting us of Facebook or Twitter.Editors Note: Unfortunately, we cannot show you the Goldie Blox video (with the song) as it has been removed from the web. However, here is a clip of the video without the song, and a link to an interesting article regarding the takedown from Salon.com : If you have any questions regarding the content of this podcast or would like to pose a question to be answered in an upcoming podcast email us at [e-mail] understand and agree that listening to this podcast does not in any way create or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and any ARC Law Group attorney. You should recognize that the information provided in this podcast is provided for your general information and should not be relied on as legal advice and is not a substitute for direct consultation with an attorney about a specific legal problem.Related articlesPodcast: Music Licensing