The Beastie Boys paid a licensing fee for the six-second, three-note segment of Newton's work but failed to pay an additional fee to license the underlying composition.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to dismiss Newton's lawsuit alleging copyright infringement. The appeals court reasoned that the short segment in "Pass the Mic" was not distinctive enough to be considered Newton's work.

Another fine application of Judge Sol Kramer's "Lighten the Fuck Up" rule.

- tom moody 6-14-2005 1:44 am [add a comment]