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Irish American Artist Sues Bbc
Byrne v. British Broadcasting Corporation
Home & Away - 5/01/00
DISCLAIMER:
BBC logo used only to identify adversary
Brooklyn rapper and Irish American hip-hop artist Chris Byrne, familiar to Irish
music fans as Seanchai (pronounced as shan - a - kee), and as a founder of the Irish
music group Black 47, has brought a multi-million dollar legal action in the federal
district court in Manhattan against the British Broadcasting Corporation, in what
promised to be a controversial lawsuit.
The action arises from a BBC documentary for BBC Northern Ireland's "spotlight"
series about an alleged Florida based IRA gun running operation.
In it's program, the BBC misappropriated Byrne's copyright musical recording
"Fenians", without license or permission. The issues go much further than standard
copyright infringement however. By using Byrne's voice and musical work, the BBC
has caused Byrne to be unwillingly associated with a British media company, and
an anti Irish message, both of which Byrne has long since opposed. According to
Byrne, this is just the latest casualty in the BBC's long propaganda war against
those who oppose British policy in Northern Ireland. Byrne is determined to win this
particular battle in a New York courtroom. The offending broadcast was originally
aired on BBC on October 5th 1999, and aimed at proving that the Florida gunrunning
episode proved that the IRA ceasefire was bogus in nature. Byrne says, " The BBC
stole both my work and my reputation to service their theory that Irish Republicans
are fundamentally dishonest. My work has always has at it's core the belief that Irish
people have the right o self determination and independence from British
interference. The BBC is a Government controlled institution that supports the aim s
and interests of the British State, including its undemocratic control over Northern
Ireland. The BBC would not have had a snowballs chance in hell of getting a license
from me, even if they had thedecency to go about it legally. My political beliefs are
central to who I am, and the BBC's theft of my work for the purpose of anti Irish
disinformation is a grave infringement of my artistic rights". According to Byrne, his
lawsuit will set out to prove his and his audiences opinion that the BBC are part and
parcel of the apparatus of British misrule in Ireland.
Byrne's lawsuit has echoes of a similar case in which Chuck D of Public Enemy
brought an action against the G. Heilman Brewing Company. After a few seconds of
his voice had been used without his permission in commercials promoting malt
liquor, despite the rapper's public opposition to the marketing and promotion of the
product among African American youth, Chuck D won a substantial settlement from
the brewing company. For a copy of Byrne's complaint, or for further information,
contact Russell Smith at 212-460-5518.
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