EURweb

COURT MULLS CLIP OF BABY DANCING TO PRINCE: Mother battles Universal Music Publishing for right to keep footage online.

(September 10, 2008)

*The woman who placed a 30-second clip of her baby dancing to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" on YouTube is still embroiled in a court battle with Universal Music Publishing over copyright infringement.

In February 2007, Stephanie Lenz uploaded the short film of her unnamed son to the video sharing site, only to have it removed four months later after infringement complaints from Universal, which owns rights to publish the song. (View clip below.)

Lenz, who said she posted the clip so that friends and family members could see her son, successfully applied to have the video reinstated, triggering a lengthy legal battle in the federal courts in California.

Universal argues that it was entitled to send YouTube a takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, because the use of Prince's material was "not authorized by the copyright owner." But Lenz, backed by digital rights lobby group the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is seeking a judgment that the video is covered by "fair use" provisions in copyright law, as well as unspecified damages.

Stephanie Lenz's Baby Dancing to "Let's Go Crazy"