After publishing his campaign video for the upcoming party membership drive,
National Union MK Arye Eldad found himself at odds with an unexpected rival: Bob
Marley, the King of Reggae himself.
Eldad used the reggae anthem “Iron,
Lion, Zion,” as the background for his campaign video, which features children
dressed in lion costumes (“Arye” means “lion” in Hebrew) gathering at his home.
“If you’re in favor of two states for two nations, when one of the states is
Jordan – If you’re against the Arab occupation, say ‘Amen,’” a narrator sings in
the video.
But Universal Music Production Group, which owns the rights to
Marley’s songs, says the video was made without obtaining permission to use the
copyrighted song.
Universal’s representative in Israel, Media Man Group,
sent a warning letter to Eldad on Thursday instructing him to remove the video
from the Web immediately, said Ran Geffen, the CEO of Media Man. Amit Karmon, a
lawyer who works with Media Man, said the company is considering further legal
action if the video is not removed from the Internet.
According to a copy
of the warning letter published online, Media Man is seeking NIS 500,000 in
compensation.
“Bob Marley’s heirs are disgusted and deeply hurt by the
stated violation of rights and the use of political extremism, by the extreme,
overt and insulting political use of the late Mr. Marley’s legacy and creation,
which, putting it mildly, humiliates him and his efforts,” the letter
states.
Bob Marley’s son, Ziggy Marley, is married to Orly Marley, an
Israeli who is also his manager. Orly Marley said in a recent interview with
Calcalist that they must “sue without exception” anyone who creates unlicensed
Bob Marley products in order to protect the artists’ legacy.
“We did not
mean to violate a copyright,” Eldad said on Thursday. “The use of covers in
funny videos and political messages is endless and floods the
Internet.”
According to the National Union MK, the lawsuit is spiteful,
but as the issue has not yet been resolved, he has removed the clip from his
website. Eldad is the leader of Hatikva, one of the three parties that make up
the National Union faction.
The campaign video, however, can still be
seen on YouTube.