In light of recent discussions about Glee's cover of Jonathan Coulton's arrangement of Baby Got Back, have some Rockabye Baby, offering lullaby covers of Rush, the Smiths, etc. Has the fundamental character of Tom Sawyer been changed? What about Girlfriend in a Coma? (For what it's worth, this type of cover is why I've always assumed that there is in practice essentially nothing that changes the basic melody or fundamental character of a work for purposes of the cover right.)
HT Zach Schrag.
I've got a copy of Rockabye Baby at home. I've always assumed that this is licensed and not claimed to be a transformative work, no?
ReplyDeleteI presume they're paying Harry Fox for the cover right, yes--the interesting thing to me is that the right is supposed to be for covers that preserve the basic melody/character of the work, and I don't think anyone has ever said "that cover can't possibly count"!
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