The American indie band MGMT, decided to sue Nicolas Sarkozy for copyright infringement.
The band's popular hit song "Kids" was used by the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire party, at their national congress without permission. Even though the UMP (i.e.) paid a certain fee to the French musical licensing organization, the band claim that it wasn't sufficient given the frequent use of the song on various videos online.
In response to the band's accusations, Sarkozy admitted using the song in their videos due to an unfortunate mistake; Sarkozy then offered to compensate the band with a symbolic amount of 1 €.
The band found the offer ridicules and disrespectful especially coming from a leader of a democratic country who's a member of the UN and is aware of the international law system.
In 1883, France held the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property; 172 countries signed this treaty. 3 years later in 1886, the international laws regarding intellectual property were established the Berne convention. The treaty created at the Berne Convention clearly addresses the copyrights issues between the countries that signed the treaty; the Berne convention requires every country in the treaty to address every owner of an intellectual property with the same rights the country grants its own citizens. He Berne convention set up a bureau to enforce the intellectual property laws and in 1974 the bureau became an organization within the United Nations.
Since the United States signed the treaty in 1989, the laws apply on both France and he US; it is a surprise to see that a leader of a democratic country like Sarkozy would disrespect the intellectual property of another and withhold the right treatment to this case. The Band should be compensated with the right amount as if they were a French citizen whose rights had been violated.
I wish to see President Sarkozy publicly apologies to MGMT and give them the right amount of money and compensation they deserve.
The band's popular hit song "Kids" was used by the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire party, at their national congress without permission. Even though the UMP (i.e.) paid a certain fee to the French musical licensing organization, the band claim that it wasn't sufficient given the frequent use of the song on various videos online.
In response to the band's accusations, Sarkozy admitted using the song in their videos due to an unfortunate mistake; Sarkozy then offered to compensate the band with a symbolic amount of 1 €.
The band found the offer ridicules and disrespectful especially coming from a leader of a democratic country who's a member of the UN and is aware of the international law system.
In 1883, France held the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property; 172 countries signed this treaty. 3 years later in 1886, the international laws regarding intellectual property were established the Berne convention. The treaty created at the Berne Convention clearly addresses the copyrights issues between the countries that signed the treaty; the Berne convention requires every country in the treaty to address every owner of an intellectual property with the same rights the country grants its own citizens. He Berne convention set up a bureau to enforce the intellectual property laws and in 1974 the bureau became an organization within the United Nations.
Since the United States signed the treaty in 1989, the laws apply on both France and he US; it is a surprise to see that a leader of a democratic country like Sarkozy would disrespect the intellectual property of another and withhold the right treatment to this case. The Band should be compensated with the right amount as if they were a French citizen whose rights had been violated.
I wish to see President Sarkozy publicly apologies to MGMT and give them the right amount of money and compensation they deserve.
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