posted by davidt on Friday June 28 2002, @09:00AM
Mirko writes:

The "Warner Music Group Germany" let me know that I have broken the trademark/copyrights with my website www.morrissey.de! I have to close my site with a deadline of 03.07.2002!

Here is the whole mail:


Sehr geehrter Herr Dass,

WEA records ist ein Geschäftsbereich der WARNER MUSIC GROUP GERMANY GmbH & Co. Holding OHG und gehört somit zum weltweit tätigen AOL / TIME-WARNER -Konzern und vertreibt Tonträger, u.a. auch diejenigen des sehr bekannten und erfolgreichen Künstlers "Morrissey".

Wir haben festgestellt, daß Sie den Namen "morrissey.de" als Domain im Internet reserviert haben.

WEA records ist aufgrund entsprechender vertraglicher Vereinbarungen berechtigt, sämtliche Darbietungen des Künstlers "Morrissey" auf Tonträgern exklusiv auszuwerten. Dieses Auswertungsrecht umfaßt das Nutzungsrecht zur Verwendung der Abbildung (Coverbild) des Künstlers sowie seines Namens und zwar bezogen auf sämtliche Tonträger sowie auf die dazugehörigen Marketing- und Werbemaßnahmen. Das exklusive Recht, Abbildungen und Namen des Künstlers zu vervielfältigen und zu verbreiten, öffentlich wiederzugeben und zu senden, steht allein WEA records zu. Die Erlaubnis, eine Internetseite mit dem Namen "morrissey.de" einzurichten, haben wir Ihnen nicht erteilt.

Wir bitten sie daher zunächst, die Reservierung der Domain "morrissey.de" via Konnektivitäts-Koordinations-Antrag zurückzunehmen und uns die Domain damit zu übertragen. Anbei schicken wir Ihnen einen solchen KK-Antrag, mit der Bitte, diesen bis zum

                                                                03.07.2002

unterzeichnet an Ihren Provider zu schicken. Desweiteren benötigen wir eine Kopie dieses Schreibens, um die notwendigen weiteren Schritte in die Wege leiten zu können. Sollten Sie dieser Bitte nicht nachkommen, werden wir weitergehende rechtliche und damit für Sie kostenpflichtige Schritte einleiten.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Warner Music Group Germany
- Legal & Business Affairs -

  Kay Spreckelsen

_____________________________________

Kay Spreckelsen
Legal & Business Affairs

Warner Music Group Germany
GmbH & Co. Holding OHG
Oberbaumbrücke 1
20457 Hamburg
Tel.: +49- (0)40- 30339 -127
Fax.: +49- (0)40- 30339 -9127
email: [email protected]
www.warnermusic.de

goodnight and thank you....cu

mirko
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  • Nobody can believe that Warner will actually use this domain to promote Morrissey's music.
    They will redirect the URL to warner.de or whatever.
    Sven68 -- Friday June 28 2002, @11:18AM (#32599)
    (User #4431 Info | http://www.keiselt.de/westham)
  • yet another example of record companies screwing the fans over.

    if people weren't greedy and were trustworthy fans that gave a crap about morrissey's financial welfare (not that he's poor or anything), i'd propose a 'bootleg war' on the record companies. CD-R equipped fans can make good quality copies of morrissey material and for those interested, sell the copies for a fee that covers production expenses, postage, and a small fee to be sent to morrissey. ($2-$4 an album, which is plenty considering that morrissey probably only gets a few cents per release by the record companies.)

    this way, fans can help to support the morrissey fanbase, support morrissey and at the same time, make a well-needed dent on the record company fiscal journals.

    thing is, people always want a profit for themselves - not so much that they're voraciously greedy but because it's money and money is nice to have... so fuck it.

    besides, wouldn't it be illegal for morrissey to accept money that curtails profit-taking that the record companies are entitled to? any lawyers in the house who can give insight on this?

    anyway, i'm sorry to hear about your site being taken from you. here's to them not making any profit from it!

    as a morrissey fan, thank you for your efforts and devotion to even open up a website for others to check out.
    state of emergency -- Friday June 28 2002, @11:20AM (#32600)
    (User #837 Info)
    "others conquered love, but i ran..."
  • Can anyone get a translator? What does this all mean?
    I can't live without morrisseys-solo!!! I just hate official websites, they dont give as much info as a website such as this.
    When have u ever seen an offical website say: Morrissey was seen at such and such place, and stories such as: I was walking down the street and I saw morrissey walking opposite of me!

    Oh god I think my heart is hurting. NOt only that, what about all the tour news, and interviews,and things that come up out of nowhere. The only way im up to date with morrissey is because of this site!
    =0(
    Anonymous -- Friday June 28 2002, @12:18PM (#32604)
    • Very honoured Mr. that,

      WEA record is a division of the WARNER MUSIC GROUP GERMANY GmbH & CO. Getting thing OHG and belonged thus to the world-wide active AOL/time warner company and drives out clay/tone carrier, among other things also those of the very well-known and successful artist "Morrissey".

      We stated that you reserved the name "morrissey.de" as Domain in the InterNet.

      WEA record is justified due to appropriate contractual agreements to evaluate all presentations of the artist "Morrissey" on clay/tone carriers exclusively. This analysis right covers the right to use for the use of the illustration (Coverbild) of the artist as well as its name related to all clay/tone carriers as well as on pertinent marketing and advertising measures. The exclusive right to multiply and spread illustrations and names of the artist to show and send publicly, is entitled alone to WEA record. Permission for furnishing an InterNet side with the name "morrissey.de" we did not give you.

      We ask it first to take the reservation back of the Domain "morrissey.de" via Konnektivitaets co-ordination request and to transfer us the Domain thereby. Enclosed we send such a KK request to you to send with the request, this up to 03.07.2002 signatoryly to your Provider. Furthermore we need a copy of this letter, in order to be able to initiate the necessary further steps. If you should not follow this request, we will introduce large legal and thus for you liable to pay the costs steps.

      Yours sincerely
      Warner Music Group Germany
      - legal & Business Affairs -

      Kay Spreckelsen

      half-a-person -- Friday June 28 2002, @02:54PM (#32621)
      (User #69 Info)
      Alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of lifes problems
      • dear person:

        we are a gigantic corporation driven by the desire to make loads of money. in the process, we make being a fan on the street as joyless and sad a venture as we possibly can.

        morrissey might tour here and it might result in the sale of 3 more copies of bona drag. we need all marketing tools at our disposal to ensure this happens so we can let the people who have been living under a rock for the past 20 years know who morrissey is. we haven't actually worked with morrissey in several years and we screwed him over on the last smith's compilation, however, we are always in the right. give us the domain name back so we can make our dream possible.

        thank you,

        signed,

        someone who is probably embezzeling everyone's retirement fund
        suzanne -- Friday June 28 2002, @04:50PM (#32629)
        (User #36 Info)
        I scare dead people.
  • Not a coincidence (Score:2, Interesting)

    I do not believe that the timing of this is a coincidence.

    Morrissey is going to tour in Germany this fall and the Warner folks know this.
    Anonymous -- Friday June 28 2002, @12:18PM (#32605)
  • Tell me if I'm being stupid here but I don't see how WARNER MUSIC can demand that the domain name 'www.morrissey.de' be signed back over to them!!??

    I know that if you are reproducing copyrighted material on your webpage the owner can ask for that to be removed but if you have legally paid for that domain name WEA have no right to ask you to hand it over!

    I have my own legally binding URL & I'd love Warners to threaten me...I'd take them to court instantly!!!!!

    Warners are possibly the biggest music corp on this planet & they don't need to do this to fans who just want to put a page together about their idol.

    Don't you get the feeling that they only do it because they think they're untouchable & nobody will officially bother to question their reasons?

    Maybe you should email them back & ask them to explain to you in plain english or even better, try to contact Mozza himself & see if he objects to the site because lets face it; it can't be any worse than the lastest fu*ked up WEA Smiths compilation.
    Dave C -- Friday June 28 2002, @06:04PM (#32633)
    (User #428 Info)
  • You may be allowed to collect compensation for the URL itself, though I'm not sure how that works under German law. I'd talk to a lawyer. They're a huge company- they can afford to throw some cash your way for the registration fee at the very least.
    BlueGirl -- Friday June 28 2002, @09:55PM (#32650)
    (User #63 Info | http://www.thebluegirl.com/)
    "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."- Anais Nin
  • That is bloody typical !!

    Fuckin records companies always MORE MORE MORE always so paranoid about stealing or downloading. Why dont they just make it better themselves, they have mastertapes and "the artist" and money, why do they always hunt the people who dont hide. Shame on Warner Bros :(

    The kind people have a wonderful dream.......
    Jeppsson -- Saturday June 29 2002, @04:04AM (#32663)
    (User #2521 Info | http://www.esromff.dk/readarticle.php?article_id=42)
  • Be it that Warners is looking to buy more sites Morrissey related, I hope to dear God that they buy Morissey-solo or Ambitious-Outsiders. Without these 2 sites there would be nothing to talk about and look at.
    Anonymous -- Saturday June 29 2002, @11:02AM (#32681)
    • Re: morrissey.de by Solo641 (Score:1) Saturday June 29 2002, @06:15PM
    • Re:Fine... by suzanne (Score:1) Sunday June 30 2002, @02:13AM
    • Re:Fine... by Anonymous (Score:0) Monday July 01 2002, @05:48AM
  • The whole world has gone mad thanks to the likes of Margret Thatcher, Ronnie Regan and George W(anker) Bush. I wish Russia had won the Cold War sometimes. Viva Cuba!!
    aly.smith -- Monday July 01 2002, @01:45AM (#32765)
    (User #3669 Info | http://www.geocities.com/smithsmoznight)
  • I own:

    thesundays.com
    siouxsieandthebanshees.com
    mybloodyvalentine.com
    thecranes.com

    I have told them all to stick it...
    never heard another word from them...

    they all goto my bands site: www.theflir.com
    Anonymous -- Tuesday July 09 2002, @06:47PM (#33406)


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