Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

NBC Erases SNL Sketch From Digital Archive For Fear of Copyright Lawsuit

Posted by Unknown on from the nbc-plans-to-sue-nbc dept.

M.Nunez writes with a tale of copyright woes. From the article: "The digital 'Saturday Night Live' archive does not feature a recent Bruno Mars sketch because it includes impersonations of pop singers and their chart-topping hits. Bruno Mars sings several songs that are not owned by NBC, so it can be presumed that the company refrained from uploading the sketch into its digital archive to avoid any legal issues. Convoluted music licensing laws have essentially erased the Bruno Mars sketch from the digital archives of SNL. In the short comedy sketch, Bruno Mars impersonates vocal performances by Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Louis Armstrong, and Michael Jackson. The sketch cannot be found on NBC.com or Hulu, as a short clip or in either full editions of the episode."

5 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This is not new by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Funny

    All it needed was more cowbell!

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  2. Crowd-sourced solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "The digital 'Saturday Night Live' archive does not feature a recent Bruno Mars sketch because it includes impersonations of pop singers and their chart-topping hits.

    This is the problem with proprietary archives - the host gets to decide what goes in. Someone should go out and invent a distributed system where people can store files locally but share them with anyone else who is interested. If you cut the file into little pieces, you could even get the file from a bunch of other people simultaneously, cutting down the time and sharing the burden. All you'd need would be someone who agrees to record TV shows off the air, then compress and share the files. Admittedly this system relies a lot on volunteers, but it just might work.

  3. Copyright is to protect the musicians, right? by houghi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Luckily we have copyright to protect the artists like Louis Armstrong and Michael Jackson. Otherwise they would just stop making music.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  4. Re:So? Who cares. by A10Mechanic · · Score: 4, Funny

    As God is my witness, I thought WKRP syndication would fly.

  5. Re:This is not new by cayenne8 · · Score: 3, Funny

    How would this be applied to Eddie Murphy's Buckwheat Sings The Hits sketch? I mean, he kinda gets the words right, except in a heavily exaggerated accent.

    It is perfectly Otay!!

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........