Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.

The case of Campbell vs. Acuff Rose Music, Inc. involves the rap group 2 Live Crew’s use of the song “Oh, Pretty Woman” co-written by Roy Orbison and William Dees. The rights to the song are owned by Acuff Rose Music which sued Luke Records in district court for violating their copyright. The court ruled in favor of 2 Live Crew, but the decision was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The case will be heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 9th. Luther Campbell, president of Luke Records, claimed that the lawsuit was a backlash from their “As Nasty As They Want To Be” album. Bill Strauss of the comedy group “Capitol Steps” discussed the importance of allowing parodies and has filed a brief in favor of the rap group of 2 Live Crew. Professor Shira Perlmutter discussed the “fair-use” clause of copyright law which is at issue in this case. David Harleston stated that he sees little economic impact on Rose-Acuff Music, Inc. close