A copyright infringement lawsuit brought against country big dog Toby Keith by folk singer Michael McCloud has been dismissed, and "I Love This Bar" scribe Keith has issued a statement regarding the favorable outcome:
"It is an awful thing to be accused wrongfully of copyright infringement. It goes to the core of what you are as a man, a singer/songwriter and an artist," Keith said. "You know it is being done to you by some greedy lowlife opportunist who just wants to get rich off you. In fact, Michael Snyder a/k/a Michael McCloud publicly bragged this lawsuit would make him a rich man, that I would buy him a comfortable life, retirement, house, car, 'big' boat, Harvard education for his children and other things. While he was talking, I was put in the terrible position of not being able to defend myself until the trial and I just could not wait for that day to come. I knew it would take no time at all for the case to be dismissed and it was, of course, with prejudice which means: He had no case whatsoever. I don't have a problem taking heat for my politics or my music. You can like my songs or not but they mean everything to me. I have always said that I may not always be a performer but I will always be a songwriter. So when this lawsuit was filed, it pissed me off. And no matter what it took, I was going to fight it. It was just too wrong. This guy can't sue me again for copyright infringement according to the judgment and I feel that maybe I landed a blow not only for myself, my reputation but for other artists as well. I hope so. As I said, the case was dismissed with prejudice. I didn't pay him or his lawyers a thing." -- Toby Keith
It's too bad that this kind of thing happens to artists, making it harder and harder for them to review any unsolicited new material by budding songwriters who try to hand them music and lyrics everywhere they go.
Anyone who knows TK knows that he could probably take you to the bar in Oklahoma which inspired him to write that song. Or, as Toby Keith says himself....
Call me wrong; call me right
But I bring my better angels to every fight.
You may not like where I am going
But you sure know where I stand."
No comments:
Post a Comment