Sunday, October 17, 2010
Worst person in New Orleans
Under US copyright law, the justification appears in Article I, Section 8 Clause 8 of the Constitution, known as the Copyright Clause. It empowers the United States Congress "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries."
According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation the purpose of copyright is twofold:
"To encourage a dynamic creative culture, while returning value to creators so that they can lead a dignified economic existence, and to provide widespread, affordable access to content for the public."
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Last year, New Orleanians rose up with one voice and beat back the mighty National Football League when it tried to assert ownership of their beloved Saints' signature slogan.
Turns out, maybe "Who Dat" belonged to a couple of guys in San Antonio all along.
Brothers Steve and Sal Monistere make no claim that they're owed royalties anytime someone chants the phrase, but they do say that when it's exploited for commercial purposes, they should get a cut.
The guys who started out as startup musicians, recording a "Who Dat?" song in 1983, say they were smart enough to immediately trademark the Saints-fan battle cry
...
"We never claimed to have invented the words; we only trademarked it," said Monistere, who divides his time between his native New Orleans and San Antonio.
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Remember when Keith Olbermann used his "worst person" segment to single out assholes and greedheads instead of people he disagreed with politically? Occasionally, the old style "worst person" designation applies to people in the local news.
