"Keeping it Legal"

From Dispatches.

Again, I reference my project with the topic of this chapter. This chapter explains the situations in which one can commit plagerism, as well as describing the line between "intellectual property" and "fair use" as well as other legal aspects of journalism. Perez Hilton was sued in the beginning of 2008 for copyright infringement by Sony/BMG for posting the newest Britney Spears track. By reading this chapter, it seems as though Perez could have been sued for "market potential," "commercial use," as well as plain-old copyright infringement. The song, which had not been released, was leaked to Perez. However, probably mostly because Perez boycotted all of Sony/BMG's artists, Sony/BMG dropped the suit without any penalty to Hilton. While he argued that he complied with FCC standards and removed to song after receiving a warning, the case never went to court.