Why Hasn The Record Industry Sued Girl Talk?
There have been many defining records that were released without the artist first legally “clearing” the samples contained within. Take for instance two coveted 1989 hip hop releases, Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys and De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising, or Biz Markie’s precedent-setting 1991 release, I Need A Haircut. These blatantly sample-heavy yet genius-laden works have helped to define hip-hop and global culture at large for decades after their initial release, but have brought about an onslaught of lawsuits and hurt feelings along the way. The goal of the SXSW 2010 panel, “Why Hasn’t The Record Industry Sued Girl Talk?”, is to answer the question proposed. The answer is however really quite simple. The factors one needs to take into consideration when bringing about a lawsuit of this grandeur necessitate a large amount of funds. The money spent to fight it (presumably in most cases), will be more than the infringed party will get out of it from the artist (for the topic of
