Ten-Year-Old a Copyright Infringer for Singing Chaplin Song in Her Charity Video

Bethany Hare abusing of copyright protected song

Bearing a delightfully straightforward motto “Helping ordinary people raise extraordinary amounts for charity is all we do, and we love it”, JustGiving is a popular, trusted online charity fundraising platform where people can create their own fundraising page or make donations.

Ten-year-old Bethany Hare used the site to make her own charity video and as an aspiring young actress she thought impersonating Charlie Chaplin would be great fun and a great tribute to her grandfather's love for the legendary comic.

But who would’ve thought the criminal potential of the apparently innocent Bethany? In her homemade film meant as a way to raise funds for a children’s hospice the girl had the audacity to sing the song 'Smile', for which she did not own the copyright! Can you imagine that?

Well, thank God, someone did. The New York-based publishing company who own the rights to the song (originally composed by Chaplin as an instrumental for his 1936 movie Modern Times) discovered the enormous copyright infringement act by the ten-year-old and demanded the removal of clip.

Now that’s vigilance!

According to DailyMail “After her mother Yvonne wrote to explain the background to the Chaplin video, the publishers said they could keep the song online for one year as long as they paid a $2,000 (£1,300) fee and a further $250 (£165) every time she performs the song in public.”

Now that’s generosity!

The demands were impossible to meet and Bethany has been forced to remove the words and music and running the video as a 'silent movie' instead.

While the Hare family had the total support of the Chaplin estate they failed to convince the Bourne Music Co of the noble cause.

However, Bethany, in spite of the copyright issues (the clips was run as a 'silent movie' eventually) still managed to raise £1,800 for Martin House Children's Hospice.

And they say music business has no heart!!!