The Internationale, the inspiring or chilling (depending on your view) anthem of communists the world over, is actually under copyright protection in France until 2017! Wikipedia explains why.
Source link: http://blog.mises.org/10297/weird-copyright-facts/
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Ironic does not begin to describe this situation.
And I was also under the impression that WWI lasted from 1914 to 1919, five years, and WWII from 1939 to 1945, six years, so from where exactly did France’s numbers accounting for those event come? (Rhetorical Question)
Seriously, I LOL’D. Thanks for the find.
And what’s more ironic than the demonstrators in Tiananmen Square using the song as a rallying cry against…the communist oppressors?
WW I lasted until November 11nth, 1918.
I love that song!
If there’s one thing commies do well is write inspiring anthems.
Morgan
That’s when the Armistice went into effect, but the war didn’t officially end until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, and the Senate did not ratify the treaty, so we were at war with Germany until 1922, which would be eight years of war total, be that’s stretching things.
Either way, the French just made up a random number of years to tack onto their musical monopoly grants with the specious justification that there was little to no commerce in songs, except state-sponsored ones, during the war and so the “owners” of the piece need more time to rob everyone else.
Of course, the best and most chillingly accurate version of The Internationale is found here:
http://www.communistvampires.com/index.htm
Excellent website — I admire his courage and sardonic humor
I love the Internationale! The lyrics are awesome. Too bad the Communists had to ruin it by association.
anarchteacher, it appears the version on that site, Vampire L’Internationale, is copyright 2000 by Thomas M. Sipos.
Yours,
Alex Peak
O the irony!
I’m reminded of a version ( sung decades ago by welsh rugby players in the changerooms and which is not likely to have any copyright at all), titled ‘The Red Flag’. The last stanza runs as follows:
‘The working class can kiss my @$$
I’ve got the foreman’s job at last….
Im out of work, Im on the dole
you can stick your red flag up yer ….
er, well, you get the point….
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