Name and Likeness

An attorney in Michigan, USA, sent me a fax claiming the unauthorised usage of the name and likeness of a legendary musician on February 15 because my name appears as the international coordinator in certain music magazines. It's been almost 3 weeks and things seem to get better at last.

Being the international coordinator for magazines, that kind of claim is not a surprise at all but in this case, it's a bit odd because the magazine in question is an issue of a monthly magazine published over a year ago. The first thing we thought was, "Why now?" Then, they added a book published over a decade ago, in which the same legendary musician is featured, to their list of publication in question. Again, we all said, "Why now?"

The book they claim was actually offered and licensed by an American publisher and published by my company as the Japanese version of an American book. All the copyright clearance was done at the beginning. So that one is not a big deal. All we have to tell them is to confirm it with the original publisher in the States. No time difference. Can be done quickly. Right? Thanks to the original publisher, their attorney cleared it up immediately before I replied to the attorney in Michigan. The magazine issue is still in question but we are 100% sure of no breach of law. It will definitely be solved soon.

What is interesting about this incident is that they want to stop us using the legendary musician's name and likeness in any publication without their permission. This musician is dead but still respected by many musicians and players. So what if a musician mentions his name as his/her biggest influence in an interview for a magazine? Should the magazine editor decide to print "You-Know-Who" instead of his name? Many people might think he is Lord Voldemort. But Lord Voldemort would never appear in any music magazines unless J.K. Rowling forms a band called Lord Voldemort.

At first, I thought we were dragged in a nightmare to deal with an aggressive American attorney. But I started laughing at it when that silly idea of Harry Potter thing above popped up in my mind although my colleagues didn't really understand it. They just thought I was silly. But don't you think it's ironic that someone who has been loved and respected by many people would actually appear in magazines as the same nickname of a villain in a famous story?

After all, there is always something humorous in a bad incident that makes it interesting rather than unpleasant. It's a question of finding it or not. Yep, I've discovered another key to enjoy life. Thanks, Mr. Attorney in Michigan!! ;)