JibJab jabs back

In re this story, JibJab asks for reliefWired News: JibJab Asks for Court's Help:

JibJab Media, a small Web animation outfit, on Thursday asked a California district court to declare that it did not violate the copyrights of Ludlow Music, the owner of Woody Guthrie's song "This Land is Your Land," which is the basis of a satirical JibJab cartoon lampooning the presidential candidates.


Ludlow Music has been threatening to sue JibJab for infringing on its copyright, saying JibJab never asked for permission to use the song. JibJab's creators have said they believe they have a right to use the song since it was used in a parody and as such is protected speech.

...In the complaint filed Thursday, JibJab asked a district judge to issue a judgment to clarify the copyright issues between JibJab and Ludlow Music -- essentially asking the judge to tell Ludlow to leave JibJab alone.

The complaint was filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation on behalf of JibJab. Fred von Lohmann, an attorney for the digital rights organization, declined to give further details about the complaint.