JibJab Runs Afoul of Copyright Laws

Posted on July 29, 2004

According to Wired.com, the creators of the wildly popular video which spoofs both President Bush and Democratic Presidential Nominee John Kerry didn't get permission from the copyright holder of the Woody Guthrie song "This Land is Our Land" before using it in their animated short film. Now, they're facing a lawsuit.

The funny short film has been seen by 25 million people and features both candidates insulting each other (Bush tells Kerry he's a "liberal sissy," and Kerry responds that Bush is a "right-wing nut job").

The moral of the story for writers? Thou shalt always obtain written permission prior to using any copyrighted material. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Update: The video is described as a political animation parody by JibJab. It continues to run. It has over 4 million views on YouTube.