Baby beats UMG in court

HOLDEN ON TO YESTERDAY: In a “minor” PR hit (get it?), UMG has been ordered by a federal judge to pay some of the attorneys' fees incurred by Stephanie Lenz, whose video of her toddler Holden dancing to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" was yanked off of YouTube at the company’s request. The Electronic Frontier Foundation took up Lenz's case, asking a judge to declare that her use of the track in her 29-second, extremely lo-fi clip—which you can barely hear—constituted "fair use." The court agreed, and the video was reinstated. The ruling indicates that Lenz will be able to recover attorneys' fees related to challenging the take-down notice, but may not be able to collect fees related to her additional claims of damages against UMG, according to the bible. When you go to the YouTube page, you’ll find this note from Holden’s mom: “Thanks for your views & comments. If you found the video via a news story or blog, please share the URL. In this video Holden is about 13 months and had just learned to walk. If you're trying to contact me, please call my EFF lawyers at (415) 436-9333.” Talk about a tempest in a teapot—sheesh. (3/2a)