ErieBlogs.com: Erie Blogger Making Headlines Around the World

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Erie Blogger Making Headlines Around the World

Posted by Mike on July 27, 2007

Erie Blogger Eden (née Stephanie Lenz) has made worldwide headlines this week by filing a lawsuit against Universal Media Publishing Group.

Photo by ron.

Several months ago, Universal (UPMG) told YouTube to take down a video Eden posted. The reason: the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy” was playing on a boombox in the background, audible but clearly background noise. Here’s the video in question.

Eden sent YouTube a counter-claim, but the video remained off line. She began working with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and this week she and the EFF filed suit against UPMG, citing fair use and abuse of the DCMA. You can view the full complaint here.

When the news of the suit hit, the story landed on websites and newspapers around the world, including several front page articles (and as Emma mentioned, our own Erie Times News completely missed the story). She is doing TV and radio interviews (including an as-yet-unnamed satelite TV interview Friday evening). She took a couple of minutes out of her crazy schedule to answer a few questions for Erieblogs.com.

EB: Was there a final straw or event that made you decide to go ahead
with the suit?
Eden: Well I’ve never been one to “roll over and take it.” When the video was removed, I felt bullied and pushed down by UMPG. I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. I feel like record companies are trying to create a culture of fear surrounding music in the digital age. They go after individuals for legally using music and it makes people afraid to enjoy music, even in the privacy of their own homes. So for me, the very act of Universal filing a copyright infringement notice with YouTube got my Irish up.

EB:You’ve been working with the EFF - what’s that experience been like?
Eden: I feel extremely lucky to have found the EFF, not only because of the issue with the video but because they fight for blogger rights as well. The people there have been wonderfully supportive and informative. I’ve learned a great deal about my rights through speaking with them and by perusing their website.

EB: The press coverage has been worldwide - has the reaction or the
tone of the reactions surprised you?
Eden: It was surprising and amazing to see my son on the front page on the Sydney Morning Herald, that’s for sure. I hoped that it would make national news; that it made international news is thrilling. We keep telling Holden he’s an international dancing star. All he did about it was pick out a Wiggles book for himself at the bookstore last night.

I read comments on the news story where I find them. What has impressed me almost as much as the level of support from people around the world has been the level of the discussion. Certainly there are throwaway comments and jokes but there’s also a discussion about who’s right and who’s wrong and what the laws are. Like I said, it’s been an educational experience all around for me.

More than a few people believe that I’m going after YouTube, which is false. I have no beef with YouTube. They allowed me to refute that my video violated copyright, they followed standard procedure in removing my video after the complaint and they reinstated it when they realized I hadn’t violated anyone’s copyright.

EB: What’s it been like for you, personally? Are you getting bombarded by the press?
Eden: Well the only call we’ve had so far was from KDKA radio. Mary Ann Lewis called my father-in-law, who gave my cell number. At that time, my father in law didn’t know any of this and he wondered why KDKA was looking for me. I did an interview via telephone with Mary Ann but I haven’t gotten to hear it yet, if it’s available online. The procedure is that anyone who wishes to interview me needs to contact my lawyers at EFF.

EB: What’s next - do you need to appear at court preceedings, etc?
Eden: I’m not sure what happens next. That’s for all the lawyers to figure out. As for me, I’m going to keep blogging the press coverage and enjoying my children. We don’t listen to Prince anymore though ;)

You can follow the events as they happen at Lenz’s blog.