Abbott and Costello, Copyright, and Me

This report — “Abbott & Costello Heirs Sue Over Lifting of ‘Who’s on First’ Routine” by @HandtoGodBway — reminded me that many years ago, I borrowed the spirit of “Who’s on First?” for a short and silly piece about copyright law. The piece got published but never made its way to the unrarefied air of the Internet. I’ve corrected that omission.

Download “What’s My Copy Right?,” 48 J. Copyright Soc’y (U.S.A.) 787 (2001), for free, via SSRN.

I’m aware that the paper somehow confuses the performers’ names, which were, properly Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

Reports of the contemporary copyright claim appear, among other places, at

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/abbott-costello-heirs-sue-lifting-800324

and

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/abbott-and-costello-estate-files-lawsuit-against-hand-to-god-use-of-famed-comedy-routine-350670