Transcript
March 19, 2012. This is a real thing, albeit in Belgium rather than America. Crazy, huh? Copyright law in most countries grants the author of a work the exclusive right to publicly perform that work. The right usually pertains to movies, plays, or music, but apparently it also covers reading works aloud. In the U.S., the fair use doctrine protects certain activities that would otherwise be infringing. However, using a work in its entirety, in a non-transformative manner, weighs against a finding of fair use.
There and Back Again
Tort Bunny reads J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to some children.
Tort Bunny (reading): This is a story of how a Baggins
had an adventure, and found
himself doing and saying things
altogether unexpected.
End of panel.
Tort Bunny (reading): He may have lost the
neighbours' respect,
but he gained ---
Brown Rabbit: Hey! That's a copyrighted work!
End of panel.
Tort Bunny: So?
Brown Rabbit: So reading it aloud to children
constitutes a public performance!
You need a license to do that.
End of panel.
Tort Bunny: This isn't fair use?
Brown Rabbit: You're reading it word
for word! There's no
way that's fair use.
End of panel.
Tort Bunny: Word for word ... I see.
End of panel.
Tort Bunny (reading): This is a ****ing story of how
Bilbo ****ing Baggins had a
****ing adventure, and found
himself ****ing and saying ****
that was ****ing unexpected.
End of comic.
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