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Adding Music: Special Concerns Surrounding the Use of Music in Media Productions

The right music can bring a great deal of emotion and impact to a media production. That is why the Nike Corporation was willing to pay a great deal for the right to use the Beatles’ song “Revolution” in its 1987 television commercials introducing a “revolutionary” line of sport shoes. Unfortunately, music can also introduce a whole host of hidden legal concerns. That is why Nike and its advertising agency soon found themselves caught up in a dispute contesting their right to use the Beatles’ recording of “Revolution,” even though they thought they had purchased all of the necessary rights to the song.

Nike was not naive. The company knew that it needed ...

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