Legal Question in Intellectual Property in California

If you are doing an equity-waver play for a non-profit theater can you perform a parody of an existing song without obtaining the rights?


Asked on 9/27/11, 10:55 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Bryan Whipple Bryan R. R. Whipple, Attorney at Law

Parody is a defense to a suit for infringement, based on the more general concept of "fair use," that is sometimes successful, but not always, as there are quite a few variables a court will consider. You can find some interesting discussion of what is acceptable parody and what is not sufficiently parody, so it still infringes, on Google. Here's one I found:

http://lemoineentertainmentlaw.com/?p=263

The nonprofit neture of your theater would be a factor in your favor.

Read more
Answered on 9/27/11, 4:48 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Intellectual Property questions and answers in California