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Leeds girl's Charlie Chaplin video dispute
Relatives of late comedian Charlie Chaplin are backing a Leeds schoolgirl in a row over her version of a Chaplin classic.
Bethany Hare, 10, aimed to raise 5,000 for Martin House Children's Hospice with her version of Smile, recorded as an instrumental by Chaplin in 1936, with lyrics added in the 1950s.
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In the online video, Bethany, from Horsforth, dresses as Chaplin and imitates his slapstick antics while singing the uplifting song.
But despite the clip scoring thousands of hits, Bethany's mum Yvonne has been forced to remove the music in a row over copyright.
The family received a string of emails from copyright owner Marco Berrocal, of Bourne Music in New York, who said the music had to be "removed immediately" from Bethany's page on charity website Just Giving.
In the emails seen by the YEP, he later says the video can stay online for 12 months – but only if the family pay $2,000.
The Chaplin estate has already contacted Mr Berrocal in support of Bethany, but it owns only part of the copyright.
Yvonne said: "We wrote back to Mr Berrocal explaining that this was just the project of a 10-year-old girl.
"We also explained that Bethany was raising money for children with life limiting illnesses and that Martin House survived totally on money raised by fundraisers.
"Copyright permission for this little charity fundraising project never even entered our minds and we are just amazed that such a large company in New York would go to such extremes to dampen the efforts of such a lovely little girl."
Bethany paid for the video, which has raised 1,800 for Martin House, with the money she earned while working as an extra on Emmerdale.
The video even caught the eye of Chaplin family friend Ernest Jennings, who raised 100 for the cause through a Chaplin-themed event.
After hearing about Mr Berrocal's first email, Mr Jennings contacted Chaplin's office in Paris, who spoke to Mr Berrocal on Bethany's behalf.
Mr Berrocal, president of the Association of Music Producers, then said Bethany could keep the video online – provided she paid the $2,000.
The cash would keep the song online for 12 months, with an extra $250 to be paid every time Bethany performed the song in public.
Mr Jennings and the Hare family now plan to contact the Chaplin estate again to see if there's anything else they can do – and if they can't, Yvonne wants to find a songwriter to donate a new piece for Bethany's video.
Yvonne said: "I have written back to Mr Berrocal explaining my shock and horror at the fact that he is asking Bethany for $2,000 when her target fundraising amount is only 5,000.
"I cannot believe that a man of such standing, in New York, could find Bethany's little link on Just Giving and come down on her like this."
* To donate to Bethany's appeal or to watch the video without sound, visit: www.justgiving.com/smile-bethanyhare
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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