Bart Steele's claim revolves around his belief that his song "Man I Really Love This Team" was used as a temp track for the Major League Baseball/Turner Broadcasting System advertisement featuring Bon Jovi's "I Love This Town". He initially claimed $400 billion, believing this to be "the largest copyright infringement case in history", and denied that he was merely seeking publicity.
In this article, Steele answers some final questions about the impact of this case.
A Crash Course in Law
Suite101: Do you have a lawyer or are you representing yourself?
Bart Steele: I represented myself as a pro se plaintiff until my appeal. That was a learning experience, but I've always tried to do everything myself, usually all at once. I did get a great song out of it. But to answer your question, I now have a great attorney who filed my appeal. He also happens to be a musician and believes strongly in my case and in the cause of copyright protection.
Suite101: Are you concerned about the legal costs of pursuing this case?
Steele: My artistic side is from my Welsh and German roots, but my stubborn side is 100 percent Italian. Driving up my legal costs is part of the defendants’ strategy but it will fail.
I am blessed with a beautiful daughter, a supportive girlfriend, and great friends and family. If I lose everything fighting the good fight, then so be it, but they will not – cannot – wear me down, financially or otherwise.
Suite101: Why do you think the original lawsuit was dismissed?
Steele: Legal errors made by the judge, who I feel was misled by the defendants’ lawyers, left me unable to prove my case. Also, I was a pro se plaintiff against one of the largest law firms in the world and frankly, I feel that they took unfair advantage of that fact. When my appeal brief is filed, it will detail the legal grounds for my appeal.
The Public Response
Suite101: What has the response been like from the industry and the public?
Steele: Everyone who has looked at this case carefully says the same thing: "keep fighting, you got screwed".
If the press keeps repeating that my legal theory is that [Jon Bon Jovi] heard my song in Boston and copied it, or that I really think I'm going to get $400 billion, then some people will continue to downplay my efforts. But only out of their own ignorance. The Bon Jovi Corporation is by admission a "client" of MLBAM (Major League Baseball Advanced Media). But frankly, it's not [the public's] fault; I mean who actually investigates stories on their own, beyond the headlines? So I can't really blame people for believing what they read. All I can do is try to get the whole story out there.
Ultimately, however, I can't be distracted by public opinion, particularly when it's based on incomplete knowledge. Though, for anyone interested, the entire case is a matter of public record. I have faith in the legal system – a bit shaken, but it’s there – and when all is said and done, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth will be known, and I will be vindicated.
A Personal Journey
Suite101: How do you think this experience has changed you?
Steele: It makes me scared because my daughter wants to be a painter – "and not of houses", she says. In the current state of digital media manipulation and piracy, I fear she'll be unable to make a fair living.
It's also made me more appreciative and respectful of fellow artists who find themselves exploited by the corporate media. I've also grown very distrustful of corporate America generally. It seems like everyone is either selling their songs for commercials or as commercials, before they’re even written. The record companies are bleeding money and turning to advertising to pay for the recording sessions and music videos. In return, the advertisers want the artists to do commercials for them. The artists and record companies agree as long as they can put these commercials’ audio tracks on an album as well. The extent to which art is now created for anything other art’s sake is sad.
Taking other people's art for the same reason, with or without permission, is even more pathetic. And that is why I'll always be comfortable in my life, because I write songs that are real.
Bart Steele was in conversation with Suite101 in his first interview since filing his appeal.
Lee-Ann Khoh - Lee-Ann Khoh has been writing since she could read and hold a pen, and exploring the World Wide Web for more than a decade. These two ...
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