This is kinda sad....


Prince moves to sue fan Web sites

By Mike Collett-White
Wed Nov 7, 1:50 PM ET



LONDON (Reuters) - Fan sites dedicated to Prince say they have been served legal notice to remove all images of the singer, his lyrics and "anything linked to Prince's likeness," and have vowed to fight what they said was censorship.

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The move was a shock to many of his followers and came two months after Prince threatened to sue YouTube and other major Internet sites for unauthorized use of his music and image.

But by targeting fan sites directly, Prince risks a backlash, and the sites have vowed to unite under the banner "Prince Fans United" and take the matter to court if necessary.

"We strongly believe that such actions are in violation of ... freedom of speech and should not be allowed," said a statement from the three sites -- www.housequake.com, www.princefams.com and www.prince.org.

A company helping Prince control his image and music on the Internet said the fan sites had spun the story so that it was "incorrect and misleading."

"At no time is Prince suing his fans and this is not about freedom of speech," said John Giacobbi, managing director of Internet policing specialist Web Sheriff.

"The current issue is one between Prince's record label and three unofficial Web sites and relates to the use of Prince trademarks and photographs, many of which are Prince's copyright," he told Reuters.

In a statement released later, he added:

"These forums have taken it upon themselves to wear the crown of being the self appointed representatives of the millions of Prince fans worldwide, despite the fact that they only represent a tiny fraction of Prince's global fanbase."

FANS SEE IRONY

Some Prince fans were surprised at the artist's threat to sue, pointing out that the 49-year-old was seen as a pioneer of online music distribution. He won an Internet award last year for "reshaping the relationship between artist and fan."

"The irony is that someone who has won that award is now challenging the very ethos of the Internet," said a spokesman for Prince Fans United.

He added: "The intention of this is to drum up public support, not to damage him. The fan groups want peace, they don't want war."

The sites, now featuring an image of a hand print with "pfu" written on it, said the singer had demanded the removal of fans' photographs of Prince-inspired tattoos and vehicles displaying Prince-inspired license plates.

They urged Prince to reconsider his decision, but vowed to defend their position in court if need be.

"The law clearly provides for displaying of images of a celebrity's likeness for newsworthy events or matters which are considered to be public interest," they said.

Prince, behind hit albums "Purple Rain" and "Sign O' The Times," is known as a maverick in the music business.

He performed with the word "SLAVE" scrawled across his cheek in protest against his then record label and changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol.

Prince also gave his "Planet Earth" album away free with a British Sunday newspaper earlier this year, infuriating music retailers but winning plaudits from fans for innovation.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

[news.yahoo.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-11-08 01:57 by Justin.

Talented he is, but stories like this aren't surprising. From the glyph to the
fight with Warner Bros (who sold probably 90% of his records to date) during
which he appeared with the word "SLAVE" magic markered on his forehead
("Prince, I mean The Artist, uh well, some might find that - oh, tasteless?
I know you FEEL like a slave and all, we just don't want it to backfire....")
Actually some of my fave Prince raves are the last ones he gave to Boss Man, supposedly quicky, contract-fulfilling sets padded with outtakes, like "Chao & Disorder", "Hits/B-Sides" and "The Vault"...

suing the fans?.....that can't be good

This is a bad precedent...it could come back to haunt all of us...better take all that stuff down on Hot Stuff....can you imagine all the royalties they could get from that...we have all downloaded something there. Glad I havent uploaded...my goodness.

JR

Lukester Wrote:
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> suing the fans?.....that can't be good


It wont be. For him. He'll end up realising that there's only so far he can disappear up his own ass until it gets to a stage where he cant get back out again.

that's pretty much what I was thinking too Gazza, my friend

Lukester, you've got mail, you sly devil.

"No Anchovies, Please"

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
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> Lukester, you've got mail, you sly devil.

Thanks for listening Elmo....your package is on the way tomorrow

Let's hear Prince's side to the story...

Twat.

I read the statement from Prince's lawyers yesterday which claimed nobody should need to take his photo at a concert as his official website has a fine collection of pre-approved photos for his fans.
It also claimed that Prince was seeking compensation, not a huge amount, just a token payment!
What a load of old bollocks. I love Prince. He's been my favourite artist since I was 5. But still I'd love to sit him down and tell him he's being an idiot. If his plan is to make his music even more unappealing to younger people he's taking the right path.

The daft thing is that he's done some stuff recently that actually makes a lot of sense...and then he starts acting like a pillock again !

... is Prince a graphic artist as well as being a musician?
i know a lot of graphic artists who get so into despising the public for not digging what they do
that if by accident people start digging their work, they feel compelled to find all new ways to alienate everybody -
it's a sign of authenticity. most performing artists don't seem to exhibit that syndrome quite as much
(maybe because they face their audiences at least once in a while, whereas painters don't have to).

on the other hand: it never used to seem strange to anyone when photography & filming weren't allowed at shows.
basically it's another aspect of the same techno version of "might = right" we were discussing in another thread.

it's weird - but artists are often weird.

with sssoul Wrote:
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> ... is Prince a graphic artist as well as being a
> musician?


I dont know about 'graphic', but 'piss artist' springs to mind in this case...

yeah, that too but ... artists are often weird.
at the same time, now that i've read the article and not just the headline (bad bad habit!)
it seems that what he's objecting to is the use of copyrighted material without his consent,
and the proliferation of photos/films that fans shot at shows without permission;
and he's had his lawyers send out "cease and desist" orders to the sites that aren't cooperating.
that's not as over-the-top as "artist suing fans" sounds. it seems like the sites are the ones making a big brouhaha.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-11-08 16:31 by with sssoul.

well my blood started to boil while reading this thread!!!! how much more perverted can music business become??? control, control, control, taking away all the fun, and we silly fans can do just one thing - pay pay pay!!! hope that no other artists will follow this. never been the biggest fan of Prince, but this sad and depressing news will make me to sell all Prince records I own. I just dont want to listen to any music from this sucker anymore.

Go see him and you might feel different. Silly and petty move on his part, but hardly worth getting one's knickers in a twist to that degree.

boiling blood ain't too good for being objective...
who knows how much truth there is in that article?
just a thought

Oh I think that article is true. There was an interview with one of the Prince-web-site-leaders - fron Norway, in the papers. Removing all the photos wasn't enough for Prince, he wants a financial apology from the website-leaders, to cover his "losses" of private life

That sure sucks - I hope the site didn't use official pics.

as if fan-websites swim in money - what a tosser.

Gazza Wrote:
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> Go see him and you might feel different.

Amen.

The guy marches to his own drumbeat, that's for sure, but his live shows are incredible to this very day.

And I love how shallow the headline writing is in the news biz, when a reasonable reading of what is actually at issue (use of copyrighted materials) is not at all that unreasonable. Typical cheap shot journalism.

There were lots of private photos as well as promotional ones.

The only money-swimming fan-website I can think of is Rocks Off.

Erik_Snow Wrote:
> The only money-swimming fan-website I can think of
> is Rocks Off.


Those bastards (smile)

>>The only money-swimming fan-website I can think of is Rocks Off.<<

thats why I occasional go there for a swim. you don't get a chance 'round here.

okay, sorry - "financial apology" does sound mighty jerky. still ... i don't know the details, obviously,
but why were these three sites using his logo without his permission, and how many times were they told
to take the copyrighted photos down before he decided to get punitive about it?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-11-08 19:19 by with sssoul.

Someone should send him some shoe lifts

Gazza Wrote:
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> Go see him and you might feel different. Silly and
> petty move on his part, but hardly worth getting
> one's knickers in a twist to that degree.

thanks, but I have absolutely no interest to "go and see him" and throw my bucks into his direction. Im absolutely sure he puts on a great show, but I am tired of those multimillion dollar big money-sucking fan exploitation travesty the music industry (artists included) has become. the Stones development into this direction (just dont get me started on their ticket & merchandise prices) does not help either. maybe Prince is the one who receives all my anger at this point, but then I am still too much of a Stones fan to kiss them good-bye too.


and I am also aware that "boiling blood ain't too good for being objective" as open-g says, but Im not god, Im just a human being and as such subjective as hell.

"i'm subjective as hell and i'm not gonna take it anymore!"

(pardon - i'm sorry an artist you're trying to like has gotten your goat that badly.
artists are weird. fans can be too. maybe these three siteowners are not like 100% cool either.)

This crap irritates me to no end! Who does he REALLY think he is? And if not for his fans, where would he be, the little purple pigmy!!! This is the reason I dislike Janet Jackson! She doesn't allow anyone to LOOK at HER HIGHNESS backstage! OH MY GOD! Get off your high horse, you arrogant bitch! And Gazza, I just saw Prince and he is not that good! Email me, I'll give you an honest review!

Prince should GROW UP. Oh, he is too small.