This theory, that Diddy would prefer to poorly defend sampling rights to keep his competition under control, was posited by Anthony Falzone, the executive director of the Fair Use Project and a lecturer at Stanford Law School. He’s probably just writing this to bring some attention to the matter but his supporting arguments for using a Fair Use defense are still interesting and should be considered seriously by hip-hop labels and artists. Link (via)

Why would Combs, one of the biggest names in hip-hop, fail to defend sampling? Maybe it was simply inadvertence. Maybe it was a strategic decision (albeit a very bad one, as it turned out). Or maybe it was more calculating. Combs and his label can afford to pay for samples. Many aspiring artists and their fledgling labels—the next generation of would-be moguls hungry to unseat Diddy—cannot. Maybe Diddy cares more about the benefit of reduced competition than defending the work of the artist and the technique that helped create his empire. Tell us, Diddy, what were you thinking?