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Morrissey comes out in support of This Charming Charlie
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 8 October 2013
Morrissey has distanced himself from takedown notices issued against the designer who paired his lyrics to Peanuts cartoons, saying he was “delighted and flattered” by Lauren Loprete’s acclaimed Tumblr blog This Charming Charlie.
As previously reported, Loprete revealed that takedown notices had been issued against her site last month, with the copyright notices seemingly coming from Universal Music Publishing. Being based in the US, Loprete could argue that the reworked cartoons are protected from copyright claims under American fair use rules, and indeed that is the very argument a lawyer representing the designer has now presented.
Meanwhile Morrissey says the takedowns are nothing to do with him, noting he is represented by Warner-Chappell for song publishing; Universal is Johnny Marr’s publisher and represents that side of the Smiths catalogue.
Says the singer’s fan-site-come-spokesman True To You: “Morrissey would like to stress that he has not been consulted over any takedown request to remove the Tumblr blog named This Charming Charlie. Morrissey is represented by Warner-Chappell Publishing, and not Universal Music Publishing (who have allegedly demanded that the lyrics be removed). Morrissey is delighted and flattered by the Peanuts comic strip with its use of Morrissey-Smiths lyrics, and he hopes that the strips remain”.
