The Lawyers Weekly has coverage of the Chet Baker copyright class action against the recording industry that could involve as much as $6 billion in liability.
Lawyers Weekly on Baker Copyright Class Action
January 18, 2010
Share this post
3 Comments

Law Bytes
Episode 278: Ben Waldman on Gander Social and the Challenges of Building a Sovereign Social Network
byMichael Geist

August 10, 2026
Michael Geist
Search Results placeholder
Michael Geist on Substack
Recent Posts
Named to Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers
Be Careful What You Wish For: Why Asking Google Maps to Defy the U.S. on Lake Ontario Would Undermine Canadian Digital Sovereignty
Big Money, Bigger Design Changes: What the Meta Settlement Means for Canada, Bill C-34, and the Age Verification and Privacy Risks That Remain
Unleashing the Trolls: Ontario Court Opens the Door to Liability for Influencers Who Weaponize Their Audiences
Why Ottawa Will Likely Join the U.S. in Opposing the Quebec Online Streaming Law at the Centre of the Trade Battle

They call it breach of contract, but when I do it, it is piracy
Somehow I’m someone who steals, where as they just violate some silly little contract. The fact is they have obviously stolen more than I and my fellow Canadians could steal and they want to hide behind names.
I think all of these artists should ask for their $750 per track.
Exactly
You hit the nail on the head Jackson. There are way too many double-standards (triple? quadruple?) that are applied by these associations, and contract violation vs evil thief is a perfect example. One that’s always bothered me is how Canadians get threated by the MPAA for movie piracy while Russia & China get cheap, no frills R5 discs instead.
It’s bad enough when corporations want to lay down the rules for government and people, it’s just pathetic when they want (and do) lay out different laws for different people.
Hey, Sookman
For it to be a breach of contract, there has to be a contract in the first place. Since there was no licensing contract, no contract has been breached. Therefore, the labels pirated the works.
Of course, if you want to apply your logic, then consumers who make a copy for themselves and their friends aren’t pirates, they are breaching a social contract.
Make up your mind.