Free the Lyrics

“PearLyrics, the doomed lyrics looker-upper for iTunes, was created not for money nor art, but something else entirely.”

read more | digg story

The human side of the pearLyrics story, this article describes how the software’s author, Walter Ritter, dedicated the application to a would-be girlfriend, whom he was trying to win the affection of.

Besides the love story, the article also points out the latest news in the legal situation.

But so far, the company [Warner Chappell] has still not given the go-ahead for either Ritter or Apple to make the program available again.

Lyrics Dustup Ends in Apology [wired.com]

Music publisher Warner Chappell is attempting at dampening the bad PR that resulted after criticism spread around the Web this past week.

pearLyrics’ author Walter Ritter willingly took down his application last week after pressure from Warner Chappell Music, but still felt his program wasn’t breaking any laws. Afterall, the lyrics are already out there on the net.

Warner Chappell reveals that their letter wasn’t an accusation, but rather an inquiry. They’re also now willing to work with Ritter to come up with ideas on how to create a pearLyrics-like application that is sanctioned by music publishers.

We’ll see how that pans out.

I’d also like to mention that at the end of the article, there’s a clarification on the MPA stance on shutting down lyrics sites.

Beginning in January, the Music Publishers Association, of which Warner Chappell is a member, will begin pursuing a campaign against 5 to 6 such companies, according to MPA CEO Lauren Keiser.
“Lost revenue for rights holders is in the millions,” said Keiser, “We’re not going after fan clubs, but websites that make money.”

Does this mean that all the small lyrics sites can go on operating as usual? I wouldn’t bet on that.

Wired article found via Slashdot: Warner Chappell Apology For PearLyrics

IP attorney Fred von Lohmann at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has written an open letter to Jane Dyball of Warner/Chappell Music Group Ltd.

The letter discusses reasons why software such as pearLyrics is not legally infringing on copyrights. It focuses on U.S. law, and may or may not apply to pearLyrics author Walter Ritter, who resides in Austria.

This is a good move on the EFF’s part, not just to stand up for Walter Ritter, but to help deter similar cease-and-desist letters from going out to American software developers.

As reported in Pared lyrics, the author of a downloadable widget that searches existing lyrics on the internet was issued a cease-and-desist letter from Warner Chappell Music.

Walter Ritter didn’t want to battle in court, so he decided to take down the program. Read his explanation.

Some say this is a foreshadowing of a larger, more prominent initiative from the music industry, which makes sense given all the rhetoric coming from music and publication organizations lately.