Fury over Simpsons spoof
Fox acts to remove clips
The makers of The Simpsons are applying pressure against an internet spoof about acquitted murder suspect OJ Simpson.
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20th Century Fox has asked video sharing site Broadcaster.com to remove three animated clips that remake the cartoon with the ex-American footballer as Homer.
The site’s chief executive, Martin Wade III said: ‘We respect the rights of content owners and we are examining all the issues raised by the Fox request.’
However, parodies have some protection against breach-of-copyright lawsuits, thanks to a ‘fair-use’ defence.
The three OJ Simpsons clips are titled Black and White Christmas, Warzone and If I Did It – the latter referring to Fox’s decision to withdraw publication of Simpson's book about the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
The clips spoof the opening scene of The Simpsons, with Simpson being chased by several police cars. Crucially, it uses The Simpsons’ actual theme tune, which could be a source of future legal action.
Wade added: ‘Our goal is to be a respecter of content rights and at the same time find legal ways to bring our community members the content they enjoy.’
Here is one of the offending animations:
Published: 14 May 2007
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