Report: ABC Sports tells Pawlenty to quit ripping off "Do you believe in miracles?" footage

[Brickbat]

ABC Sports intends to slap presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty with a cease-and-desist letter for improperly using its footage in a political advertisement, a lawyer told The Des Moines Register this afternoon.

"It's a violation of our copyright and exclusive proprietary rights," said Louise Argianas, director of rights and clearances for ABC Sports.

Pawlenty launched the television commercial in Iowa on Wednesday, calling it "The American Comeback."

The 30-second ad uses TV footage from the so-called "Miracle on Ice" when the USA hockey team beat the undefeatable Soviet Union in the1980 Winter Olympics.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110721/NEWS09/110721030/1056/

YOU DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH THE MIRACLE ON ICE. YOU DO NOT.

[Brickbat]

1. I find it interesting that so many GOP candidates use songs and footage without asking permission.

Do they really feel like any coverage is good coverage?

[unblock]

3. they understand that the law is whatever you can get away with.

they understand that if you use something without permission, you can use it freely until the rightful owner realizes it, gets pissed enough to want to do something about it, decides to spend money on a lawyer, the lawyer sends a cease and desist, and eventually files suit and gets a court date.

then you agree to stop. unless your lawyer thinks there's room for more stall tactics. in the meanwhile, you reap all the benefits of the song or footage or image or whatever. by the time you agree to stop using it, its usefulness has probably run its course anyway, and you just move on to the next unauthorized thing.


as much as republicans whine about tort reform, the fact of the matter is that there's not enough punishment for wrongdoing to actually deter crap like this. people know how to take advantage of the system.

[Zoeisright]

2. Poolenty needs a miracle to get even one vote.