Two-time Miami Beach mayoral candidate Steve Berke had himself a pro-medical marijuana parody hit on YouTube with “You’re the Law that I Want (Yes on 2).” Set to the song “You’re the One That I Want” from the musical Grease, Berke and his crew dance and sing while urging Florida voters to yes on Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana.
The four-minute parody racked up 300,000 views and was featured on Comedy Central, Buzzfeed, and the Huffington Post, according to its producers. But it’s been pulled by the site, after the Warner/Chappell music company claimed it violated its copyright. Apparently nobody told Warner/Chappell that satire and parody are fair use in the United States.
Berke argues that as a parody, the video is fair game. YouTube, as a publisher, also has the right to take down whatever content it wants, but Lee Molloy, one of the video’s producers, points out that the video-sharing site is full of parodies, including others of the same song. There’s even one called “You’re the Whore That I Want,” he said.
“You ask yourself, ‘Why are they particularly picking on us?'” Molloy says.
Molloy thinks it’s political. “That’s the reason why they’ve decided to do this,” he said, “because we’re supporting medical marijuana.”
More at the Miami New Times.