Video shows Beverly Hills Cops playing Beatles music to exploit copyright laws while being recorded
Feb 15, 2021
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Filming police officers in the course of their duties has started to become quite commonplace. Sometimes it’s morons trying to wind them up and bait them into doing something stupid, but often it’s simply people trying to record the other side of the story. After all most police around the world wear bodycams these days. So, why not?
Well, according to Vice, police in Beverly Hills have resorted to playing copyrighted music while they’re being filmed in order to trip social media copyright filters to get videos automatically taken down as soon as they’re uploaded. Licensing issues with the music also prevent these videos from getting any news media attention they might deserve, too.
In the IGTV video above, as the person filming approaches the police to ask questions, another officer starts playing the Beatles song Yesterday on his phone, which is then picked up by the recording microphone and included in the video. It’s an obvious attempt to get the stream shut down by Instagram and other services while it’s still in the process of happening.
According to the text of the Instagram post, the video was later forwarded to multiple news agencies who covered the story being filmed but said they couldn’t use the video due to the inclusion of copyrighted music. Vice has reported that this isn’t the first time Beverly Hills PD has done this, either, and this is at least the third such video to come to light.
If you’re filming your interactions with the police, covering one of the various protests around the world, or anything else out in public, copyrighted music playing in the background – something over which you may have no control – is something to be aware of if you don’t want to fall foul of licensing issues, whether that be with social media or the actual media.
It seems now that those who don’t want to be filmed understand this now, too, are starting to take advantage of it.
Anybody else a little disappointed they weren’t playing Harold Faltermeyer? Yes. I said Harold. Not the stupid frog.
[via Vice]
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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35 responses to “Video shows Beverly Hills Cops playing Beatles music to exploit copyright laws while being recorded”
Smart
Adrian J Nyaoi not really. Plenty of social media companies do not de-platform or remove copyrighted materials. TikTok being the biggest. There’s also the Streisand effect which brings him more unwanted attention than he anticipated.
Do they have the rights to play music in public?
Really good point and I would guess they don’t for large crowds. Think the RIAA would side with the protesters on this one?
Time to start stripping the audio and transcribing the discussion
Jolyon Ralph thats a really good question. If the officer is the one playing it, surely they’re they one breaching copyright?
Jolyon no they don’t. It is against the law to broadcast copyrighted music (without express permission) in public. So are they going to arrest themselves? ACAB
Gareth Griffiths so it is against the law to listen to music in public??? Every guy with a loudspeaker should be arrested? Even most of the drivers with loud music playing..
With the windows down…I recall a young gentileman at a filling station(*where one would refresh one’s fuel tank prior to 1960) with it ,the music,turned up to ear-splitting levels. By the way…he was NOT suffering from white privledge.
is it allowed by the city of beverly to play music while working is the question it could be argued that it is not safe
Marius broadcasting music yes.
Gareth Griffiths ok, so listening to music is the same as broadcasting according to you? I am sorry, but I think you do not understand what the broadcasting means… officer was just listening to the song
Marius depends what they are listening to and what platform they are streaming it from. If they are not streaming then they would need a license.
Spotify explicitly states in their terms of service that it is for personal use.
The police here are clearly broadcasting this for it to be picked up by recording devices. The intent is clear.
Gareth Griffiths Are they? maybe they just want to have a good time during the work :) I am getting what you want to say, but from what I saw in the video. they did not break any rules. Even if it is Spotify or YouTube, you will not prove they did it with intent to avoid media or social attention… and this would be considered as personal use – listening to music while at work, same as you do in the car listening to broadcasted radio or on a beach with a loudspeaker playing Spotify. Broadcasting is way bigger term and does not apply in this situation, no matter how you look at it :)
Of course they do, just like you playing music in your car with the windows down.
Wrong. They are using it in a professional context as a policing tool.
Or, like any person that listens to music while they are working?
It’s not in a commercial setting so their good. No different to playing a movie DVD to your family or a few fiends in your living room, or to your kids while driving in your car..
It is to protect their asses professionally. Thats not personal use. They are on duty and using it as a policing tool, however corruptly.
Interesting tit for tat.
It’s about accountability isn’t it?
i wonder what would happen if an officer approached you and you start playing your music…
This is brilliant! They should have thought of this a long time ago!
Soon someone will make a [red] filter to remove the music from videos.
Thank you for your fairly unbiased article John, and thank you diyphotography.net for allowing a comments section.
I will now take this opportunity to say F Antifa, who are really just anarchists and communists. F any malicious police who I believe are a minority. Last but not least F all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. F than all!
..and F all of the “good” police who do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the bad ones, making themselves accessories to the crimes.
Funny, because “Antifa” doesn’t exist as an organization; it’s a term that originated in Italy in to describe people who were in opposition to Mussolini. The term has no real definition, allowing it to be used in all sorts of ways; right-wing politicians like to use it as a smear term in an attempt to distract people’s attention from real issues and valid protest against their policies. As soon as some disaffected idiot throws a Molotov cocktail, they start yelling “Antifa! Antifa!” whether it applies or not.
There are probably some anarchists who would describe themselves as Antifa, but probably not many Communists, since they would describe themselves as…well, Communists, and do have organizations they can be part of. (Repeat, for emphasis: there is no such organization as Antifa. Prove me wrong.)
I’d describe myself as holding Antifa, as in Antifascist, beliefs but I’m neither an anarchist nor a communist. My dad was a proud member of a group that stormed the beaches of Normandy in June of 1944 called the Canadian Army. They could be described as Antifa.
Genius. The cops should just not say a word.
Brilliant. The cop should just start repeating stuff like ” bro, I was just on my way to work. ” or “but I wasn’t doing anything” or “dude, I’m just trying to listen to my music.” or “am I breaking any laws? Am I under arrest? Am I free to go?”
Or, “I can’t breathe”.
There are some royalties owed to Paul and Ringo…or, um…Michael Jackson’s estate? Wait no , Paul bought that shit back right? Fuck I’m confused now. Just play the beatles “piggies” or “Helter skelter”
Piggies
song by The Beatles
have you seen the little piggies
Crawling in the dirt
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse
Always having dirt to play around in
Have you seen the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts
You will find the bigger piggies
Stirring up the dirt
Always have clean shirts to play around in
In their styes with all their backing
They don’t care what goes on around
In their life there’s something lacking
What they need’s a damn good whacking
Everywhere there’s lots of piggies living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner with their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon
The pleece are just lissning fer dare owen enjoyment:enrichment.Ain dis nyce wid da intruzsiz ubgrade aye god the effing redd lyons unner neith everting.loog ad aii dose purty yaller lyons.FURF YOU TECH SCUM!
um, drugs are bad, m’kay?
I guess these cops really do have something to hide.
I guess these cops have something to hide, eh?