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Can You Copyright a Joke? (npr.org)
Reader AnalogDiehard writes: Writer Alex Kaseburg has filed a lawsuit against TBS and Time Warner alleging that jokes recited on the Conan O'Brien show were stolen from his blog shortly after they were published. The case gets heard in August and could create new protections in a legal forum in which there is little precedent or clear definition in what defines a joke as "original" and subject to legal protection, especially in an industry where theft of humor occurs on a regular basis. But the outcome of any judicial decision opens a big can of worms and raises serious questions: Will YouTube videos get shut down from DMCA notices citing copyrighted jokes? Will compliance staff have to be retained to ensure that their magazine or news article, TV show, movie, or broadway act is not infringing on copyrighted jokes? Will copyrights on jokes get near-perpetual protection like the controversial Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act? Will people be able to recite limericks without fear of infringing? Will tyrannical politicians copyright critical jokes to oppress freedom of speech? Will legal cases be filed arguing that a comedian's joke(s) bears too much similarity to a copyrighted joke recited decades ago? Will girl scouts be free to tell copyright jokes around the campfire?
No
Similarly, you can't Copyright a word, or a string of words.
What... like a book?>
There is not hard line of "originality" the brain is input output with an arbitrary amount of processing, cases argue originality of creative works all the time, and everytime they draw an arbitrary line, so "can you copyright a joke"? that's subjective, it depends on the case, it depends on the Judge. (Yes copyright makes no sense)
who copyrighted a bucket.
The judge tossed the case
as moot on its face
and he heard the next case on his docket.
No?
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
> No?
No. The meter's off. :-)
There once was a man from Nantucket
Who told all his lawyers to suck it.
He took a big toke,
Gave up on his joke,
Got really high and said "fuck it."
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