6/6/2017 PowerSchool Learning

Copyright is No Joke-Research Assignment

Paige Alcon 8 months ago

Palmieri v. Estefan 88 F.3d 136 (2d Cir. 1996)
CaseStudy:http://mcir.usc.edu/cases/19901999/Pages/palmieriestefan.html
PaginasdeMujer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HMXeZ_pvpA
OyeMiCanto:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgzguCY79bA

ThisparticularcasetookplacebetweenEddiePalmieri,asalsaartist,andGloriaEstefan,aLatinpop
artist.PalmierifeltthatEstefans1989song,OyeMiCantoinfringedonhis1981song,Paginasde
Mujer,whichwasproducedbyBarbaroRecords.Thewholeissuefirststartedin1991,whenPalmieri
firstfiledacomplaintthatclaimedaviolationof17U.S.C.106.Accordingtohim,OyeMiCantolifted
thechorusfromhisownsong,whichhefelttookhissongsheartandsoul.JudgeRichardOwenof
theU.S.DistrictCourtfortheSouthernDistrictofNewYorkpresidedovertheoriginalcase.

Whenthereisacaseinvolvinginfringementonacopyright,therearethreeelementsthatvalidatethe
saidclaimofinfringement:a.)ownershipofthecopyrightregistration,b.)accesstotheinfringedsong,
andc.)substantialsimilaritybetweenthetwosongs.Withthisspecificcase,theprosecutionheavily
restedtheircaseonthesecondelement,accesstothesupposedinfringedsong.Throughoutthecase,
PalmieriprovidednumerousexamplesofevidencethatinferredEstefanhadaccesstoPaginasde
Mujer.Someexamplesofevidenceinclude:

a.Roughly40,000copiesof"PaginasdeMujer"weresoldnationwidebefore"OyeMiCanto"was
composed,withatleast2,000copiesweresoldintheareaofEstefansresidence,Miami.
b.BasedonthedecisionreachedinFisherPriceToysv.MyToyCo.,385F.Supp.218,220
(S.D.N.Y.1974),GloriaEstefan'sprofessionalinterestinsalsamusic,Palmieri'sstatusinthefield
andtheavailabilityofhissongallowedaninferencethatEstefanhadanopportunitytocopyhis
song.

Withmanyoftheseexamplesofevidence,JudgeOwenwasunabletoassessthepropriety
of...admissibilityandthushedecidedtobarsomeoftheevidencethatPalmierisdefensehadplanned
toshowthejury.

Inregardstothethirdelementofsubstantialsimilarity,PalmieriarguedthatthelineOyeMiCantowas
directlyliftedfromthechoruslineofPaginasdeMujer.However,Estefanandherdefensearguedthat
thephraseoyemicantoisderivedfromCubanfolklorictraditionduetoitscommonuseinmanyAfro
Cubansongs,thatphrasetheoreticallybelongstothepublicdomain,andisnotoriginalenoughtouse
asevidenceforcopyrightinfringement.

Intheend,inJuneof1995,JudgeOwenruledinfavorofthedefendantsappellees,ashefoundthere
wasnotenoughevidencetosuccessfullydiscoveraninfringementofcopyright.Ithinkhewasrightin
hisdecision.Havinglistenedtobothsongs,Iheardnospecificsimilaritiesbetweenthetracks,onlythe
generallatinvibefoundinnumeroustracksofHispanicartists.Inaddition,Ithinkthatthebiggestcrux
ofPalmierisargument,accesstotheinfringedsong,wasbasedonabsolutelynothingthepointsthat
hemadewerebasedontoomuchofageneralassumption,thatbecausepeopleclosetoEstefanmay
haveownedthesongmeansthatshewouldknownaboutthesong.
https://www.myhaikuclass.com/abeatrice/introductiontomusicbusiness/discussion/print_thread/2007501?thread_id=28753846 1/2
6/6/2017 PowerSchool Learning

Extraarticlesaboutthecase:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/421620/DISMISSALOFSUITHASESTEFANSINGINGHAPPY
REFRAIN.html?pg=all
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/19910610/news/9106100109_1_estefanpalmierioyemi

https://www.myhaikuclass.com/abeatrice/introductiontomusicbusiness/discussion/print_thread/2007501?thread_id=28753846 2/2