Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 6:54pm

PopeWatch: Our FRATELLI TUTTI

PopeWatch was minding his own business when one of his secretaries buzzed him.  “Some nut is on one claiming to be the Pope.”

PopeWatch:  Put him through.

PopeWatch:  Your Holiness.

Pope:  Gringo, have you ever heard of copyright?

PopeWatch:  At least a passing reference Holiness.

Pope:  Well why did you steal my  FRATELLI TUTTI?

PopeWatch:  It’s a religious document Holiness.  It is an official text of the Catholic Church.  It’s up on the Vatican web site and it is likely not subject to copyright protection.  (Go here to read a law review article illustrating the complexities of copyright and religious texts.)

Pope:  I am no abogado (lawyer), Thank God.  I do employ muchos of them.

PopeWatch:  Litigation against me Holiness, might be amusing for me and for my readers.

Pope:  Let’s not be hasty Gringo.  I have no wish to sue you.  I am getting tired however of every  Tomas, Ricardo and PopeWatch making free with my literary output!

PopeWatch;  The solution is obvious Holiness.

Pope:  It is?

PopeWatch;  Certainly.  Stop writing encyclicals.  Writings by you that are not official texts would have full copyright protection.  For example, a memoir.  A book on the saints.  Meditations of your Holiness.  Any writing that is not an official text of the Church.  You would want to make certain that they were not posted on the Vatican website.

Pope:  Hmm.  That is an idea Gringo.  Any other suggestions?

PopeWatch:  Well, your Holiness could write under a pen name.

Pope:  Si, for example, Grouchy Argentinian?

PopeWatch;  Perfection Holiness!

With that the line went dead and PopeWatch went back to work.

 

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Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Saturday, October 10, AD 2020 4:49am

‘IN SEARCH OF (MAINTAINING) THE TRUTH:THE USE OF COPYRIGHT LAW BY RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS’

In the case of Fruity Tutti it is questionable that it is a religious document at all, due to its many political overtones and implications.

It is even more questionable that the putative author, supposedly the Pope of the Catholic Church, is even a member in good standing of that Church.

Frank
Frank
Saturday, October 10, AD 2020 6:35am

Don, this is marvelous, as have been all of your reports of conversations with PF. Too bad you presumably need to keep working in the law mines, or you could be a worthy successor in spirit to CS Lewis. I can see it now: “The Popewatch Tapes.” Perhaps a project for your eventual retirement?

Don L
Don L
Saturday, October 10, AD 2020 9:00am

I would suggest a pen name such as “Pacha Momma II” in order to capture the anthropological oriented converts

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