[A2k] Savage use of copyright to stop criticism of attacks on Muslims

[James Love]

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/savage/2007/12/03/54101.html?s=3Dal&prom=
o_code=3D3E90-1

Savage Sues Muslim Group

Monday, December 3, 2007 1:25 PM

Nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage has filed a lawsuit
against CAIR, the Counsel on American-Islamic Relations, charging that
the Muslim group has misused copyright material from his show.

The group, which identifies itself as the nation's leading watchdog
group protecting the rights of Muslims, has used clips of Savage's radio
show to raise funds and to get supporters to demand Savage's sponsors
cease advertising on his "Savage Nation" broadcasts.

Savage's show which originates in San Francisco, California reaches over
eight million listeners per week, according to the lawsuit. The suit
adds that his Web site MichaelSavage.com receives 2.3 million page views
per month.

In the suit he alleges that instead of being what it claims to be =E2=80=94=
 a
civil rights organization =E2=80=94 it is actually a political organization
"designed to advance a political agenda that is directly opposed to the
existence of a free society that includes respect and dignity for all
people and all religions.

"The copyright infringement herein is part of this plan. CAIR's
fundamental purpose is to be a lobbyist for foreign interests," an
allegation that the lawsuit backs up with numerous examples of CAIR's
activities.

In a Nov. 1, 2007 statement CAIR, which described itself as "A prominent
national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group" urged "radio listeners
of all faiths to contact companies that advertise on Michael Savage's
nationally-syndicated radio program to express their concerns about the
host's recent anti-Muslim tirade.

CAIR charged that Savage "screamed attacks on Muslims, Islam, and the
Quran, Islam's revealed text, during his Oct. 29, 2007, program," and
claimed that an unspecified number of concerned listeners contacted the
group CAIR about Savage's alleged attacks on Islam."

CAIR cited what it called "Savage's shouted anti-Muslim attacks," using
copyrighted material from that show: "I'm not gonna put my wife in a
hijab. And I'm not gonna put my daughter in a burqa. And I'm not getting
on my all-fours and braying to Mecca. And you could drop dead if you
don't like it. You can shove it up your pipe. I don't wanna hear anymore
about Islam. I don't wanna hear one more word about Islam. Take your
religion and shove it up your behind. I'm sick of you."

"What kind of religion is this? What kind of world are you living in
when you let them in here with that throwback document in their hand,
which is a book of hate. Don't tell me I need re-education. They need
deportation. I don't need re-education. Deportation, not re-education.
You can take C-A-I-R and throw 'em out of my country. I'd raise the
American flag and I'd get out my trumpet if you did it. Without due
process. You can take your due process and shove it."

"What sane nation that worships the U.S. Constitution, which is the
greatest document of freedom ever written, would bring in people who
worship a book that tells them the exact opposite. Make no mistake about
it, the Quran is not a document of freedom. The Quran is a document of
slavery and chattel. It teaches you that you are a slave."

It further used Savage's material by including a link to an audio of
what it called "these and other bigoted statements by Savage," and
advised readers to click on the URL
http://www.cair.com/audio/savage_102907.asp.

The lawsuit further alleges that "CAIR repackaged the content of Michael
Savage's show and manipulated that stolen content so that it could be
used by CAIR to raise funds. Little or none of the money raised went to
alleged "civil rights" activities."

The lawsuit's allegations conclude that "the theft of Michael Savage's
copyrighted material and the destruction of the proper context of that
material is yet another tactic to silence critics of CAIR. CAIR was
specifically and by name attacked by Michael Savage in his October 29,
2007 statement but CAIR did not contest the truth of Savage's attack on
CAIR but instead sought to steal and sully his copyrighted work.

The suit, and CAIR's alleged copyright violation should be of concern to
all engaged in producing creative material,

Savage tells NewsMax.