Stanford Fair Use Team Sues Over Radio Blowhard

Last October, conservative shock jock Michael Savage went on a tirade against Muslims, screaming, "Take your religion and shove it up your behind! I’m sick of you!”

So Brave New Films put together a clip called “Michael Savage hates Muslims” and put it on YouTube. (You can still see it here). Savage’s lawyers fired off a take-down notice in late September, claiming that the filmmakers were violating his copyright on the broadcast and YouTube took the video down.

Today, Stanford’s Fair Use Project announced that it has sued (.pdf) Savage and his radio company on behalf of Brave New Films. It’s asking the court to rule that using clips of the radio show is fair use. 

“Copyright law is not and should not be a tool for suppressing views you don’t like,” Tony Falzone, who heads the Fair Use Project, told Legal Pad. “That is smack dab in the heart of fair use — no one had any business sending a takedown notice for this.” 

Undoubtedly, Savage (who lives in Marin and whose real name is Michael Weiner) will have some kind words for Falzone.

—  Zusha Elinson