Contact: Lisa Cohen, 310.395.2544
lisa@lisacohen.org
RIGHT WING GROUP TOLD
TO STOP AIRING ANTI-OBAMA ADS IN
MICHIGAN AND OHIO
LEGAL
LETTER DEMANDS THAT CONSERVATIVE GROUP “CEASE AND DESIST” ITS
BROADCAST OF ATTACK ADS
San Francisco, CA – In a cease and desist letter filed with the right
wing group broadcasting an anti-Obama ad in Michigan and Ohio that
features Weather Underground founder William Ayers, the non-profit Free
History Project, the organization that produced 2004 documentary film
The Weather Underground, is demanding that all broadcasts of the ad be
stopped for violating copyright laws. The cease and desist letter,
which was sent to the conservative entity responsible for the attack
ads, the American Issues Project, is attached below.
On Monday evening, John Keker, an attorney representing the Free
History Project, which produced and directed the 2004 Oscar-nominated
documentary The Weather Underground, informed the conservative
organization, the American Issues Project, that its attack ad targeting
Senator Barack Obama, which is currently being broadcast on television
stations in Michigan and Ohio, uses unauthorized, copyright protected
material.
Stating that the American Issues Project has “willfully violated the
Free History Project’s intellectual property rights,” the cease and
desist letter demanded that the right wing organization, “immediately
remove the advertisement from any television, cable network, or other
media outlet where it is currently running” and “remove the ad from the
American Issues Project’s web site.” Mr. Keker will formally notify
television stations in Michigan and Ohio that the American Issues
Project’s attack ad is in violation of copyright law.
The Weather Underground tells the story of a group of young women and
men – including the founder of the Weather Underground, William Ayers
-- who tried to overthrow the United States government during the late
1960’s and 70’s. The anti- Obama ad aired by the American Issues
Project uses footage of William Ayers from the documentary without
permission from the Free History Project, and, in doing so, is
“directly infringing on the Free History Project’s copyright in the
film.”
Sam Green, the Director of the Weather Underground and an officer and
director of the Free History Project, said, "We were shocked and
dismayed to see that material from our film was taken and used in this
manner. Our goal in making The Weather Underground was to produce an
even-handed and fair account of a turbulent period in American history.
We would never authorize anyone to make use of the film for the
purposes of divisive partisan politics."
The cease and desist letter demanded that the American Issues Project,
“immediately remove the advertisement from any television, cable
network, or other media outlet where it is currently running” and
“remove the ad from the American Issues Project’s web site.”
The Free History Project is a 501 (c) (3), film production,
distribution and educational outreach organization. Its mission is to
advance knowledge of media, history and humanities based-subjects,
through independent documentary film and education.