Seanchai Scores Major Victory In BBC Lawsuit
Byrne v. British Broadcasting Corporation
Ireland On Sunday - 3/4/01
DISCLAIMER:
BBC logo used only to identify adversary
by Eamon Lynch
Irish American rapper Chris "Seanchai" Byrne has scored a major victory in his $5 million copyright lawsuit against the BBC, which he claims illegally used his music in a 1999 Spotlight documentary on IRA gun runners in Florida.
In a strongly-worded decision, a Manhattan Federal Court judge described the Beeb's conduct as "a prima facie violation of the Copyright Act."
The judge also rejected the BBC's effort to have the case moved to London.
"Waxing creative, the BBC claims that: 'All roads lead to Britannia,'" he sniffed.
The Spotlight show featured Byrne's hip-hop song, Fenians, complete with its rousing chorus -- "Say it loud, say it proud, I remain and unrepentatnt Fenian Bastard". Byrne a former Black 47 star and confirmed Republican, said the BBC has caused him to be associated with both a media company and an anti-Irish message that he has long opposed.
By advancing this argument, Byrne ensures that the trial will be heavily focused on what he considers the BBC's shabby coverage of Northern Ireland.
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