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July 28, 2008

Warner Music versus John McCain...

Wired | Read Full Story >

It’s not clear why the video was deleted, but there’s a good chance that the campaign’s use of Frankie Valli’s hit tune Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You had something to do with it. Licensing such hits is expensive, and the tune is frequently used in television commercials.

There were two versions of the video, and both appear to have been taken down. Viewers voting for their preferences for the two videos generally preferred the one accompanied by the Valli tune.

The McCain campaign did not return a call or an e-mail for an explanation.

[...]

UPDATE: The Warner Music Group asserted its copyright claim against YouTube, which is the reason for the take-down. McCain’s campaign has re-posted the video, sans Warner’s intellectual property. It’s ironic that a United States senator, who has been part of a body that has so repudiated the idea of fair-use, is feeling the repeated stings resulting from its own legislative history. (To be fair though, McCain’s been on the side of individuals in many a legislative fight.)



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