A Dutch musician watching a "Harry Potter" DVD discovered the song he made for an anti-piracy video was being used elsewhere without his knowledge.
Produced for Tue., Sept. 15, but can air for the next several days.
Jason Mick at DailyTech.com reports that the makers of the Piracy: It s a Crime commercials used Dutch musician Melchior Rietveldt s song on that project, and then again, without permission, on many others, putting it in over 71 DVDs and pre-movie ads all over the world. Rietveldt discovered the piracy watching a Harry Potter DVD with a pre-ad that included his song. So he called Buma/Stemra, the agency he had worked with in 2006 on a project with that song. They promised to send him a list of all the instances the song had been used, and an advance of about $17,000, but never sent any accounting of use. Then he recorded Buma/Stemra board member Jochem Gerrits telling him if he wanted to get paid, he should sign with Mr. Gerrits label, High Fashion Music, where Gerrits would take 33 percent of Rietveldt s royalties. When that was revealed, Buma/Stemra sent him another $35,000, and last week a court awarded another $68,000, plus legal fees, and a fine of $22,000 against the company to go to promote artist awareness of collecting royalties.
Company made music piracy ad, pirates music for Sept. 15, 2015
Radio news about radio waves.
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Sept. 15, 2015
Produced at Wave Farm/WGXC in the Hudson Valley, New York.