Andre Yoskowitz
1 Mar 2009 18:13
The popular indie band MGMT has accused French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his party of using one of their songs without proper compensation and has threatened to sue the President if the situation is not rectified.
Sarkozy's party, the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) confirmed that they paid a €53 fee to France's music licensing body, but lawyers for the band say the compensation is not enough to cover the amount of times the song has been used, especially on the Web.
The party also admitted to using the track, "Kids" during the national congress speech in January as well as in two online videos and in a few political ads. The politicians offered to give the band €1 for copyright infringement.
Band lawyer Isabelle Wekstein has declined the offer and called it 'insulting.'
"This offer is disrespectful of the rights of artists and authors. It is insulting," said Wekstein. "We are dealing with acts of counterfeiting, an infringement of intellectual property."
Noting the irony of the party's actions, Wekstein added: "It seems that those who led the charge against Internet users are not the most respectful of copyright."
The UMP has been pushing hard for a 'three strikes law' that would banish pirates from the Internet after two ignored warnings. French legislators are currently readying the 3 strikes legislation for final vote.