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Songwriter claims DF’s campaign used his lyrics without permission
Shifa Rahaman
May 17th, 2016
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Bjarne Jes Hansen claims he will not sue for copyright violation as he doesn’t want to give the party extra publicity
Dansk Folkeparti’s new campaign, which features the slogan “There is so much we need to look after”, has elicited strong responses – both negative and positive.
However, songwriter Bjarne Jes Hansen is now claiming the slogan is from one of his songs and that the political party used it without his permission, reports Politiken.
Not nationalist in nature
In 1971, Hansen wrote the song ‘Us adults can also be afraid” about nuclear power, pollution and war. The song featured the lyrics “There is so much one needs to look after.” Hansen claims that DF has lifted the lyric and used it after changing ‘one’ to ‘we’.
“I think they stole my song and used it in a context that I never intended. It had absolutely nothing to do with nationalism. Whether it is an actual copyright violation, I don’t know – but it’s certainly a violation of the spirit in which the text was written,” he told Politiken.
Coincidence?
However, DF press secretary Søren Søndergaard has dismissed the claims as unfounded, saying the similarity is a coincidence.
“The slogan just fit very well with the way DF sees the world and our belief that we have to cherish what we have,” he said.
This is not the first time DF has been accused of plagiarism – in 2008, the party was accused of using late singer Natasja’s song title ‘Give me back Denmark’ after changing the ‘me’ to ‘us’.
Bjarne Jes Hansen has claimed he will not sue the party because he doesn’t want to give them the extra publicity.
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