When contacted for comment on the case, long time Francis Legal Adversary Ronald Richards had this to say,

“Joe Francis got lucky that even though he another felony under his belt, (his second), he won’t be returned to jail. The judge still has to accept the plea. If he rejects it, the parties are back to where they started. He also faces tax potential tax liabilities from the IRS that are still left open by the plea agreement. In the future, felony child abuse and bribing an official won’t make him the greatest civil witness which is where he will surely be in the future.”

EXCLUSIVE COURT DOCUMENTS

Yet another missed opportunity by the labels. What better promotion of music to a demographic that would never search out said artists. Instead of dealing or innovating the major labels choose litigation. It’s a long lonely road to self destruction.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Some of the world’s largest recording companies are suing “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” claiming producers violated their copyrights by playing more than 1,000 songs without permission.

Many of the songs were played during the “dance over” segment of the show, when DeGeneres dances from the stage to the interview area, often through the audience. According to the suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Nashville, when representatives of the recording companies asked defendants why they hadn’t obtained licenses to use the songs, defendants said they didn’t “roll that way.” “As sophisticated consumers of music, Defendants knew full well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act, and under state law for the pre-1972 recordings, they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully,” the suit states. (more…)